Irish Reel
by Irish Reel
Summary: Kira is murdering the top wanted criminals all around the world. But there is a hacker whose life must not be taken. Behind the scenes L is trying to save her.
1. I'm a believer

_Hi all!_ ㈳3 _Short note...this is my first fanfic! If you like it please sign as fav, or if you think that smt shall be changed please please please review. I need some motivation here...In any case thank you all for reading!_

 _Hope you enjoy_ ㈍9

 _._

\- Soichiro PoV -

He never felt this awkward.

Why it had to happen the very first week his team started working with that guy? He felt like a complete idiot.

Well, not like it was his fault. It was Matsuda's... But he was the chief, and his duty was to look after the work of the agents under him. Was his duty to make sure they were serious and professional. At least at the beginning, to make at least a half decent impression. But no. He knew that agent was not experienced, he knew that he was where he was thanks to his family background and, mostly, he knew that he stuck to the investigation team out of pure ingenuousness.

However...he was tired too. Once that the meeting was over and that weird detective released them he just wanted to flee and let his guard down. He craved to go back home, hug his wife and eat something salty enough to cover the taste of the cakes. He ate them out of pure politeness and hunger, since he disliked sweets and disliked creamy sweets most of all. He did not bother to check if his agents were mature enough to make sure to not leave anything behind.

One did.

Obviously one did.

That Matsuda forgot his cell phone. L always asked to leave their the phones at the entrance and...well Matsuda did that for good. He had to breathe hard to not yell at the young man when he called him from Aizawa's phone to tell him the news. He couldn't order him to go back to L's place, as he feared that the detective would have kicked a naive guy like Matsuda out of the investigation squad at the first chance. They were already low on numbers, thus Soichiro decided to cover for Matsuda and collect the cellphone himself. L wouldn't scold the chief. At least that's what he hoped, since he eventually realized that there was no way to inform L on his arrival or to ask him to bring the phone with him when he would move to the new hotel the day after, so to give it back to Matsuda.

He had no way to communicate, aside the belt he received, which would send an alarm in case he was in danger. Not the case, definitely not an option. Whenever the squad had to speak with L, he was the one calling. Better said, he made Watari, his assistant, doing that for him. And Soichiro didn't have Watari's number either. Since when he was chief he never asked for L's help. L is the one deciding the cases to take on. No need to inform him, not the police nor the secret services. Hell knows how he can be always updated on everything. If something juicy is at the stake he pops up. Otherwise...well that's not his business.

Soichiro had no other choice but knock at the hotel's room and hope that L was still awake. It was only midnight after all, and considering the dark circles under the detective's eyes it didn't take to be a cop to assume that man was a little sleep deprived. He found himself chuckling a little on the elevator of the luxurious hotel in the middle of Tokyo.

He was thinking about how he ended up working with the top dog. L was the greatest detective in the world and word says he never showed his face to any collaborator before. He was just a distorted voice coming out of a computer that his assistant carried around.

This time though, they were chasing a serial killer that people started calling Kira. The criminal was apparently able to kill at distance with a heart attack, given that he knew name and face of the victim. Something out of the ordinary in brief, and that meant that L had to play out of his element if he wanted to catch this guy. That's the part where him, Soichiro, and his squad, came in.

Kira gave out his whereabouts, not willingly of course, but he revealed to be in Japan. Consequently L had to cooperate with the local police closer than ever to solve this case. He waited for the scaredy cats to leave the case, and then decided to meet face to face the remaining ones.

Nearly a week passed since they met, and L kept changing his whereabouts since then. What Soichiro found funny was that, despite the authority L held, he couldn't frame the guy. He knew he was the same great detective he had always looked up to, the man who instructed the police of all world, the distorted voice behind a screen and yet...now he knew that he was also a sweets addicted, socks allergic, owl eyed weirdo wearing always identical clothes, likely to have never combed his hair in his life.

Not that Soichiro was into stereotypes, but if that guy wasn't L he would have had second thoughts about working together. That's why he burst into laughter when he tried to imagine the reaction of the detective the moment he would discover that the men working for him, the men supposed to help him solve the most complicated case in his life, were not even able to keep an eye on their belongings.

Impossible task. That guy was too strange to imagine his possible reaction.

Soichiro was trying to regain his composure when he reached the room. He knocked at the door waiting for the detective to let him in.

Nothing.

He knocked again, putting enough strength in it to wake L up in case he was in bed. Silence. Maybe L already moved to another hotel. Maybe it was better this way. He could check the insides of the room to make sure L didn't purposely left the phone behind, otherwise Soichiro would have asked for it the next day. He reached for the universal key card L gave him to access their meeting places, when he noticed something out of place.

The hotel rooms they used were sound proof, considering the delicate matters discussed within their walls, and still...he heard some noises coming from the other side of the door.

Gosh. That detective was definitely a weirdo.

He recognized the soundtrack of a movie he watched some time ago with his daughter, the youngest of his two kids. Soichiro had a hard time again restraining his chuckles while he imagined the greatest detective in the world watching Shrek at full volume from the couch, in his strange posture. Probably he was so focused on the movie that he didn't hear Soichiro knocking at the door.

The police chief decided to get inside without further ceremonies. After all, a grown up man watching Shrek at 12 AM was not in the position to scold him for forgetting a mobile.

That was the very moment Soichiro made the decision that would have changed his whole approach to the Kira case. Oh, and to L as well.


	2. Lovers in Japan

\- Soichiro PoV -

Soichiro tried to get in the suite keeping a straight face. He took few steps and then turned on the light, trying to not crash into a wall or smash a mirror. That simple gesture finally focused the attention of the occupant of the room on the man who just came in. The music was suddenly turned down and Soichiro realized that it came from a stereo, and not the movie he thought.

"Already here?! Hey, a five minutes business cannot even be called important! Whatever matter you had to do or discuss with Watari it could have waited till morning, don't you think? You could have talked about something so trivial on the phone instead of leaving me here! I am all understanding for what regards your job, but I'm getting bored being left out this case! You'd better keep me some company if you have time to spare, or I'll be overly annoying in the upcoming months ok?!"

Soichiro's heart skipped a beat. This was wrong. He suddenly realized that he crossed an invisible line. In front of him stood a young woman wearing a baggy white man t-shirt clearly belonging to the detective he expected to find in her place. More specifically, she was wearing solely a baggy white man t-shirt.

Soichiro noticed a tattoo bounding her left thigh like a garter. 010011000010000001001100011000010111011101101100011010010110010101110100, written diagonally and repeated again and again to cover all the thigh.

He knew that was a binary code but he didn't know how to read it. Anyway it was definitely sexy. As he studied the tattoo his eyes glimpsed a pair of black lace brazilian panties under the t-shirt and he had to grasp for air. Great. Definitely a great situation to be in. The girl kept scolding L in English from her back, raiding the fridge without looking at Soichiro. She didn't realize yet that the man who just entered the room was not the detective. Soichiro made use of the time she was losing to have his brain thinking about something to say when she would have turned around. The girl figure was quite small and that, together with her subtle body arts, gave her a delicate look that totally contrasted the strong words flow she was producing. She had long wavy flaming red hair, that she carried on a low tail on her left shoulder. Her skin was as pale as the one of the man owner of the t-shirt. Soichiro couldn't help himself from stating that, from what he cold see, she was actually quite attractive, even though she looked like some sort of pixie.

"Are you listening to me L?! Don't just stand there like a sloth-"

The girl finally eyed Soichiro and the last word died in her mouth while she dropped a piece of strawberry shortcake on the floor in shock. He stood there quite stunned, looking at her. He forgot about everything he was about to say the instant he noticed the clear bulge of her stomach. Ok that was too much, how could he not freak out a half naked pregnant girl after sneaking in her room in the middle of the night while her boyfriend was out for business? He decided to go for the truth, at least he would not make any useless effort to lie...

"Emh...I'm sorry for the intrusion my name is Soichiro Yagami" he started in his best English "I work with L...I mean Ryuzaki...that's how he asked us to call him...well...I was saying...my colleague forgot his phone here and I have to take it back...so please if you found it...you know...". Soichiro felt more and more awkward every second. His voice faded away as the girl kept staring at him. After the most embarrassing moments of silence that followed his poor explanation, the girl decided to say something.

"...Yagami. You must be the police chief. I heard good things about you. Please, though, restrain yourself from coming out of the blue and freak me out of my bones next time uh? It's not nice to cause a pregnant woman a heart attack, especially if she is already paranoid about Kira".

"I'm sorry...I was not really expecting to find someone that wasn't Ryuzaki...".

"Please call him L. What sort of stupid name is Ryuzaki? God if he sucks at picking names...bless if he will ever let me give a decent name to this kid..."

Soichiro coughed to hide a burst of laughter. This girl was funny.

"You can laugh if you want, I won't tell L we were making fun of him. Com'on get here and have some cake, would you?"

He suddenly lost the urge to laugh. No. Stop with the sweet treats please. Please. Please!

"...I also have chips, if L nauseated you with sugar..." It was like she read his mind.

"That would be great, thank you very much..."

"Your face said it all!"

The girl moved from the fridge to the cupboard and took out some salty snacks to offer. Despite that, when she sat on the table she ensured to put a big piece of shortcake in front of her.

"So tell me chief, how is my husband behaving when I'm not around?"

"Husband_?" He coughed on his chips as he noticed a ring with a huge red diamond in the shape of a heart. From the little he knew about stones her finger was probably valued more than his house, his cars, his bank account all together and maybe more.

"...Oh...a-emh...good I guess...name...?".

"I'm not going to tell you my name Mr. Yagami. I don't mean to be rude, but unfortunately I'm already on Kira's black list once for being L's wife and twice for being a bad girl. Santa didn't bring me anything nice this year. You can call me Irish Reel if you want."

Soichiro felt like 1000 tons of iron were dropped on his shoulders. Irish Reel? Was this girl making fun of him like she nonchalantly did of her husband? Why to pick such a name? She couldn't possibly have anything to do with the Irish Reel he was thinking about. She was L's wife, wasn't she? How could the wife of the greatest detective in the world be a wanted hacker? And not any wanted hacker. The most feared one both by the criminal underground and by the governments. Just few months before, that very same hacker, managed to gather some extremely embarrassing information on nuclear security leaks and the Japanese government had hard times to prove clean from the accusations that started spreading on the web.

The girl gave Soichiro a subtle smirk. He realized that he already knew the answer to his unspoken question. She certainly was Irish Reel. She was L's wife. She wouldn't bother to piss off a government. No way that he would put her in jail, to put it bluntly.


	3. Iris

\- Soichiro PoV -

The girl continued to slowly chew on her cake with her mischievous smile. Soichiro thought that the more he get to look at her, the more she resembled a pixie. He felt like she was about to pull a trick on him anytime soon, therefore he decided to stay silent and wait for her next move. And there she was, locking her eyes on his. Soichiro felt awkward for the countless time that day and tried to avoid the crystal gaze. He wandered if she learned that from L, or vice versa, or was something they had in common. Honestly, the ebony eyes of the detective were a bit more unpleasant compared to the icy ones of the girl, but the very fact of having a girl staring at him for so long made him nervous. He focused on his chips.

"Does it upset you, to be in front of the only one out of the top 10 most wanted criminals in the world that Kira didn't manage to kill?"

The upfront question forced Soichiro to look up again. Her smile vanished. He was suddenly facing a completely different being. A few moments ago he was chitchatting with L's wife, with a girl who resembled a fairytale character, a pregnant woman he unwillingly startled, and yes, a hacker. Now she forced him to focus solely on the criminal. The genius hacker that could shake a nation from its foundations. The black bug that escaped Kira's judgment till that moment. Her gaze was now freezing him to the bones. He noticed details of her face that didn't came to him at first. She had dark circles under her eyes. Not like L's. Hers had a taint of orange that Soichiro associated more to tears than to insomnia. Her cheeks gave away that she had lost weight unwillingly and in a very short time. She forced the policemen to wake up and face what Kira was doing. She wasn't scared by a middle aged man that ended up in her suite by mistake. She was scared by a serial killer that could kill her, her husband and their unborn baby at any moment. She was scared to death and all he could do was to notice that she looked like a pixie. It felt like he received a direct punch in his jew.

"Why are you saying this to me? I'm still a police chief even if I work with your husband, you know? I could arrest you right here and now"

Soichiro couldn't think about anything thing better to say. Yes he pitied her, but she was a criminal nonetheless, and he was a cop. What the hell she wanted from him? Why did she ask him to stay there just to confess him she was a criminal? Did she just want to talk to someone that wasn't her husband?

"You won't doom me. I never hurt anyone. Worst thing that happened to my victims was to lose their money or go to jail. Few of them got the death penalty, but the so called legal institutions decided for it. You won't let Kira kill a teenage girl would you?" Again the smirk, but it seemed forced this time.

"T-tenager?"

"I am nineteen"

Soichiro's mouth unwillingly dropped open. He was sexually attracted by a girl that could be his daughter? She was only two years older than his son! He couldn't believe that she was so young. Second direct punch straight in his stomach.

"Did you act like this when you met L, chief? He's barely twenty four, so you know."

"W-what?...What do you want from me Irish Reel?" the man asked defensively in a low voice. "Why are you saying all these things so bluntly?"

What was she doing to him? Not only she made him feel empathy for her, now she was trying to do the same thing using L. Yeah, he realized that L was young, not so young actually, but everything about the detective made people forget the obvious statements. Being L for such a long time nothing but a letter, a voice coming out of a computer, that made L more a like a reference point to him rather than...than a person. A young man who had a family he cared about, just like he did. Soichiro's throat dried. Third direct. He was knocked out.

"Let me answer your question Mr. Yagami"

The girl leaned forward, as much as her round belly permitted her to, and continued "I want you to know us. I want you to remember who we really are. If we are to die anytime soon I don't want to do it hidden from the world like dirty rats. I am proud of who I am. I am proud of who L is".

She stood up and opened the door to lead him out of the room.

The man slowly started walking away.

"Soichiro..." The girl called him back.

"Yes?"

"I didn't mean to be rude. There were things you had to know if you are going to work with L. Thanks for listening to me"

Soichiro noticed that the face of the girl softened a little and a smile was back on her lips. A natural one this time. He could do nothing but feel relieved. Criminal or not, she was too young to crack down.

"I have to digest most of those things, but I guess this is for the better..."

"Bye chief, I hope that one day this conversation will grant some understanding even for someone like L".

"See you again Reel"

She smiled again and closed the door between them.

Soichiro didn't get the meaning of these last words. But, anyway, it was fine like that.


	4. Everything

\- L PoV -

He was staring closely at the screen like there was actually something relevant on it. In truth he was lost in his thoughts. He had already deduced all that could be deduced out of the information he had in hand. He just wanted to be left in peace for few minutes, until Watari gathered new data. He was not used to work with the agents. At least, not as L. He was accustomed to work with the Fbi or the Interpol undercover.

Deneuve was a fake identity he used, as well as Coil. He currently impersonated the three best detectives in the world, mostly to gather as much information as possible and to discover if anyone was trying to unveil his real identity. To impersonate Coil was somewhat boring, but extremely profitable. The role he got most fun out of was Deneuve's. He never had the chance to get some action as L since he had to hide his face and everything. Consequently, Deneuve's missions, even if easier than his standards, made him feel like he was on holiday. During these cases he used to work on field with the agents and that was pretty fun. He couldn't wear what he wanted, couldn't eat what he wanted, nor seat as he wanted, but that was a fair price to personally kick the criminals in their butts.

It was during one of Deneuve's first missions that he met Anna. He was investigating a mafia ring he suspected to be related to a huge pedo-pornographic network. He was struggling to gather enough evidence using the new identity he was not accustomed to, when a hacker named Irish Reel managed to track down each and every member of the criminal organization and passed the names to the Fbi. He was not galvanized at the idea of using someone else's data, but he couldn't detect a wrong piece of information in there. He had to take in the help of a criminal and be thankful for that. He was just supposed to handcuff the bad guys, take the merit for something he didn't do and go back home. He was so pissed off that he decided to find that hacker and put him in jail asap, no matter what. After a whole month with zero results, he had to admit that he wasn't the only one good at hiding behind a screen. At the beginning he felt frustrated.

Than annoyed. Then angry. Then idiot.

Finally he cast his pride aside and had fun trying to identify this unpredictably talented guy. He couldn't even consider the hacker a bad person anymore. Yes he used the wrong means and angered some big fishes here and there, but always ended up doing the right thing. And it was a hell of fun to help out Reel in pissing off the institutions too. Somehow they started cooperating and things got much easier for both, due to their mutual support. They began to trust each other and L wasn't sure if that caused him to let his guard down, or if deep down he wished to meet Reel. His childish part never really gave up trying to figure out the hacker's identity and finally found peace with himself during the next mission as Deneuve.

That day a little girl came to shake his hand with a friendly and triumphant smile on her face and hummed a reel. He pondered the idea of Reel being a female before, but stats were against that hypothesis. Until that moment. He was celebrating at the idea of having discovered Irish Reel's identity, while she didn't know who Deneuve really was. But his emotions changed drastically when the girl greeted him.

"My name's Anna. Nice to meet you L!" she said in a giggly voice, like she couldn't bother about a thing in the world but to meet her rival and friend in person.

If he somewhat admired Reel before, he definitely looked up at that girl the moment she beat him at his own game. It was on his nineteenth's birthday when he already realized that, from the day she found him, they would have been together.


	5. Underdog

\- L PoV -

L smiled thinking back at Deneuve's missions. He knew that he could dream about them as long as Kira was around. He loved his job, no doubt about it, but the Kira case was something different. He was intrigued by it and yet, he just wished for Kira to make a wrong move. He just wished for it to be over. He didn't like Anna to be worried. They didn't foresee to be targeted by a serial killer able to murder at distance when they decided to conceive their first baby. Anna began to fall in ever deeper fear since when the most dangerous criminals began to drop dead one after the other. Being an outlaw herself she was always expecting to be the next, and she always survived, increasing the agony to the unbearable. She was so miserable that L had to ask Watari to get his hands on some antidepressants. Discovering that Kira needed a name and a face didn't seem to cheer her up. All she could say was "I found you". And she was right. But L couldn't find her. Neither could Kira. L was outmost surprised when, that night, he came back to his room to see her dancing and singing in front of the stereo with a strawberry ice cream cone as microphone. First thing he assumed that she took some drugs that didn't came from Watari. Then he thought that even if she was crazy enough to do such a thing, she wouldn't do it being pregnant. Eventually he realized that she was actually happy. He had no idea what made her so, but he thanked every single saint, deity and patron in heaven and hell for that. She didn't spill a word on what happened, but for once he decided to not investigate further and shared the happy mood. They watched one of Anna's favorite movies, made jokes and laughed, sincerely laughed, for the first time in months and that little parenthesis of joy made L realize how much he was worried himself. He didn't realize it before, since he was focused on giving Anna the impression that things were under control. But Kira had just murdered twelve Fbi agents, totally innocent people, whose only fault was working for L. Kira was no joke and he had to catch him. Quickly. Funny thing he cursed Watari when he suggested him to take some of Anna's pills. He should have learned to listen to that man in 24 years, but that was just as prideful and stubborn he was. Whatever thing made Anna's heart lighter, he definitely needed that too. Not that he was going to directly admit to Watari that he was right...

"Ryuzaki...what shall we do?" someone bringed him back to reality.

-Uff. Do nothing. Leave me be. Just leave me in peace for a moment. You are supposed to be chosen agents. Can't you use your own brain for once and investigate like I wasn't here to think in your place?-

L really wanted to speak his mind but, instead, got up and silently mourned the early ending of his break time.

"Aizawa, please continue to investigate on the other eleven Fbi agents and the people deceased by heart attack in the area of Tokyo" he said "Matsuda and Yagami will intensify the researches on Raye Pember".

Out of the Fbi agents, Pember was the only one who got caught by a CCTV camera at the moment of his death. L looked at that video long enough to conclude that no evidence could be evinced from it. Anyway he let the cops having another look at it while Watari was gathering something or better relevance. Not that he didn't trust the others in finding further hints. He just trusted Watari for the better. By the time he thought this, Watari was already calling him.

"Ryuzaki, is Ukita at the phone. There's a call with relevant information"

"Give him the number of phone five and tell him to pass me the informer on that line"

Finally something started to move...

"Matsuda you can turn on your phone. Better said, please turn it on"

L waited for the agent to do as he demanded. He felt kinda bitchy for asking that to Matsuda. That very morning he gave him back the mobile he forgot in his room the day before. In one thousand little pieces. He asked Anna to disassemble it, whith the excuse of having her looking for bugs. He realized that the guy was not very experienced, but...how was it? Oh right. You learn from your mistakes. Anyhow he let him borrow an old phone from Watari, so he didn't had to feel that guilty.

"Hello. Suzuki is speaking..." L listened carefully at the phone. On the other line was a middle aged woman, mother of the fiancé of Pember. Raye's girlfriend was an Fbi agent named Naomi Misora. L worked with her once, and had a high opinion of her. What L didn't know was that Naomi was engaged with Pember. If only he knew that, he would have met her before. Maybe he could still interrogate her as a witness. Maybe she hid the clue he was so desperate to find.

But soon he realized that he was too late. Naomi's mother hadn't heard from her for two days. Knowing the girl, L knew she wanted to avange the death of her boyfriend. She was in danger.

He hang up the phone and filled in the team.

"When Penber arrived in Japan, his girlfriend was with him. They were in the same hotel. The day after his death she disappeared"

"Anyone would despair after the death of her fiancé...could she have..." Matsuda didn't have it in him to continue.

"...committed suicide?" Aizawa finished for him.

"No. The Naomi Misora I know was an excellent Fbi agent, very determined. More probably she tried to catch Kira instead"

L was wondering why she didn't came to him in first place. She knew Raye was working for him. Maybe she was angry at him because, deep down was his fault if Raye died. "...Being with Pember she might have found some circumstantial evidence..." He thought out aloud. In that case...Kira could have been a step ahead of her.

Maybe she didn't ask for his help because she didn't had time to do that. And now it was too late.

He felt responsible for her. She was his friend and he let her get in danger because he didn't bother to know about the private lives of the Fbi agents. He met all of them on his missions as Deneuve, he considered them friends and trusted all of them. For such a stupid reason he had been naive enough to stop himself from invading their privacy. If he only knew about Naomi...

He made Penber stalk some of the families of the police higher ups. That was due to the fact that Kira appeared to have accessed reserved data only cops could get to know. Or someone like Anna, but he ruled out that possibility.

"Listen to me. We are going to investigate on those stalked by Pember before December 19th. It is a very limited number of persons. However, if within these persons is hiding Kira, we cannot undertake regular interrogations. That would be too dangeros" It took all of L's guts to keep on, even giving his back to the agents. "The investigation will focus on the cops and their families. According to Pember's reports they were all clean, but still...", he turned to face the other men, "...I intend to install cameras and microphones in their homes" he finished.

The commotion that followed his statement was something predictable. L knew that bugging a cop's house was not the most pleasant thing to do, but he had no other choice. They had to catch Kira by all means.

"Who were the the people Pember was investigating on?" asked Yagami, the police chief. Here came the worst part.

"Director Kitamura and chief Yagami, plus their families" L continued " I am asking you to let me put cameras and microphones in their houses".

L could not afford to let his moral standards lead to anymore useless losses. At least he learned that lesson from Naomi.


	6. Walking in my shoes

\- Soichiro PoV -

He couldn't believe his ears. Did L really say that? That he wanted to bug his house? What the hell was in head of that detective? How could he believe that he or his family had anything to do with Kira? Fine that the guy was accustomed in sharing the roof with a criminal, but Soichiro's family was a totally regular one.

He was having a staring battle with L when he realized something. L decided all this after that he discovered that the girlfriend of a dead Fbi agent was nowhere to be found. He finally digested the words of the red head.

\- If we are to die anytime soon I don't want to do it hidden from the world like dirty rats... I hope that one day this conversation will grant some understanding even for someone like L-

Kira murdered Pember, and probably killed Naomi as well. Nobody helped her, nobody protected her and nobody knew she was even in danger. Soichiro remembered the pixie girl with the puffy eyes and eventually found some understanding for the detective. But that girl knew that L would have played dirty sooner or later, and wanted him to play along. She managed to force Soichiro in her husband's shoes. Rhetorically speaking, since L was nearly never wearing shoes. Soichiro admitted that Reel was stunning. She met him by chance and yet she built up a whole devilish plan in no time. She was not going to end up like Naomi did. The moment she saw him she started her counter-attack on Kira. And she knew she had good odds to succeed for this part. If something happened to L, he would have his conscience haunting him to help her. Soichiro felt like a damn puppet in her hands.

"I'm telling you that we cannot do that in Japan!"

"If someone finds that out it's the end of the squad!"

He restrained himself from arguing. His colleagues were complaining for him too. Instead, he tried to reason with L.

"Ryuzaki, what are the odds for Kira being one of those persons?" he wandered.

"10%.." L lingered for a second "...no, I'd rather say 5%".

More complaints from the others, claiming that the odds were too low. But, in truth, the answer actually shocked Soichiro. That was the highest percentage he ever heard coming from L. He couldn't believe that his family was suspect. Sure L was a strange guy, but he certainly was good at his job. Soichiro, the cop in him, couldn't stop him.

"... We never had a culprit before. Even if it's the 1% we must investigate".

"But chief...we are talking about bugging your house and Kitamura's..." Matsuda pointed out "... there's no another way?".

Soichiro's eyes locked on L. He wasn't going to lose the staring contest this time. How would the detective feel if they were going to spy on his pretty little naughty wife instead? Who knows what he would have said if Soichiro mentioned her. It was time to show how was it like to have guts and behave like man.

"I am outraged that my family is suspect as well..." he started "...but we are going to do it the same! Ryuzaki, promise me you won't leave out any spot. Neither the toilet".

"Thank you. That is my intention".

"W-what are you saying chief?!"

"Matsuda is right, chief! Do you understand what does it mean?"

"Think about you wife and daughter..."

"Do you think I didn't?!" Soichiro shout. Ok being composed, but what Matsuda and the others were thinking? They were not chasing a candies thief. He was scarifying something there, for the greater good, for justice, at least they should realize it!

"If we must do this we must do it to the end, it's no sense otherwise! Now leave me alone!"

"I...I am sorry..." Matsuda squeaked.

Poor guy, at least he tried to stand for him...

"No...I am the one who should apologize" Soichiro said and turned around. He had to think through his decision. He let the others discuss a little longer and gathered his thoughts. That was gonna be a hard week. No doubt about it.


	7. When you were young

\- Anna PoV -

"What did you do?"

Anna stayed silent entering in her husband's room. Dammit. He didn't say 'how', he said 'what'. Not that she expected any 'hi', before that. Sure thing that cop spilled out they met the very second after he saw L that morning. What a pain in the ass.

"Annaaaaa..."

"Nothing all day as usual. Kinda boring, but you know..."

"Do you wanna play this game?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you came in contact with one of my men, by any chance?"

"One of your men? Dear, since when do you have such inclination?! We could have played this three people game before!" Anna couldn't stop herself from laughing at her own joke. That was too easy, he served that on a platter!

"I am serious here. One of them behaves strangely. He's too collaborative"

"Maybe he's just a polite collaborative person, L. Did you consider that possibility? Why are you accusing me?"

"Because you did something. He's a very straight man and he agreed to... well, to something quite illegal in Japan".

"Uuuuuh...so my virtuous husband is moving to the dark side?" Anna giggled. "Do you remember that I fell in love with a good boy, don't you? I might change my mind now...". She loved it when she was a step ahead of L. She knew that Kira would have pissed him off sooner or later, and she made a good bet talking to Yagami.

"You must install cameras and microphones in the houses of chief Yagami and director Kitamura"

"What? Are you bossing me around?"

"Tomorrow Watari is going to gather all the material you need".

L turned to look at her in the eyes. Anna started to like this game.

"That's kinda sexy, you know boss?"

"Bug the houses...please."

"Awww, com'on why did have to add that damn please after I just said that I like it rude?!"

"Because I still don't know what you did"

"I'm sure that man agreed just because you were the one asking for such a thing. It's not easy to say no to L, for your information. And I still don't know why you are interrogating me"

"Because he's not the only one acting different" L gave out a little childish smile "I am kinda relieved having back the old sneaky you"

Anna had to admit that she gave L a hard time lately. For some reason, the moment they discovered about Kira's doings, all her energies disappeared. Maybe it was because of the pregnancy, but for the first time in her life she just broke down without any resolve to fight back. She let L handle everything while she just let the days pass by waiting for a heart attack to arrive. She felt ashamed of herself, mostly because she passed her worries down on the only person who cared about her.

"I ran into the police chief by chance. He came here to look for his colleague's mobile", Anna finally confessed, "for some reason being caught by the wrong time in the wrong place, switched something back on inside of me".

"I shall thank Mr. Yagami, then" L smiled.

"I even told him that I am Irish Reel. I don't know why, I just considered proper to provoke that chief a little bit"

L sighed as if he knew what was on going on in her head. She was scheming something and nothing could change her mind. That was just how she was. And she was never gonna change. Kira or not Kira.

"Can you let him believe that you don't know anything?" Anna wondered.

"I would rather ask him to not talk about us"

"If he kept secret our meeting being with you all day, he's not going to spread the rumor"

"Do whatever you want, just be careful Anna"

"I am always careful"

L let out a short laugh.

"What was that for?"

"I wish I saw his face"

"Me too!" Anna started laughing again "It's too funny to see how people react when they discover that you are human! You should start covering that taint of green from your skin dear! Oh, and your second head!"

"That should do. Maybe hiding the scales would be good too?"

"I didn't want to be rude, but well yeah!"

Anna sit down next to him and let her head rest on his shoulder. She deeply inhaled into his scent. Chocolate cake today. So damn good. She was surely going to steal his t-shirt later. Stealing L's clothes was definitely another crime she was fond of. She wondered if Kira considered such a thing suitable for the death penalty.

"I am sorry" Anna said.

"Don't be"

"I made you worry. Now I am here, all pumped up because I came back to my senses, and you are still digesting my depressing moments"

L looked away. She made a huge mess and she knew it. She knew that he couldn't work at his best if his head was not 100% there and he was already worried enough about the baby without having her crying all day.

"Can I make up anyhow?", she asked awkwardly.

"Just...please never break down again" L said, keeping his stare on the ground, "I am not the best at cheering others up as you noticed".

"Thankfully I am a positive girl most of the time..." Anna leaned to kiss her man on the neck "...and I am a good cheerleader..." she giggled, hugging L in a ribs breaking grip.

"Ugh! So...I dare say that you are definitely back to your usual self?" He laughed. She finally managed to have him looking at her.

"Positive, Mr. Detective"

"For good?"

"For good for good"

"Forever?"

L was certainly good as teasing. It was nice to see him smile again. She was never going to make him worry again. He was never going to see her sad ever again.

"Shut the hell up would you?" She said in a soft smile, silencing him with a kiss.

Of all the things she couldn't figure out that moment, most of all she could not explain how she managed to spend so many weeks without having L touching her, kissing her, hugging her. She kissed him more passionately, as if releasing him would bring her infinite pain. She has been in her own bubble for so long, that she couldn't define how releasing that kiss was. Not just to her.

"I love you Anna" L said, caressing her cheek.

She hang on to him like she was fighting for dear life. He actually was her life. She was fourteen when she ran away from home to meet him. And she never turned back. Well, she has been forced to came back home now and then, but by the time she was sixteen L gave up trying to convince her. She smiled bitterly thinking about her mother. She felt guilty for not seeing her in years. She just wanted her daughter to be happy with the average life she hoped for her. Simple job, simple hobbies, simple boyfriend. Instead, Anna fell in love with a guy who was five years older. Of all guys, she fell in love with a weirdo like L. She never enrolled at high school. She became a world hunted criminal. Her mother could not bear to see her 'destroying her future', as she used to say, and eventually they stopped speaking to each other. Anna wished that one day she could let her know how happy she was with her life. She wished to reassure her, she wished her to meet her nephew and get to know L. She wished to open a bottle of Chianti with her and toast to a brand new beginning.

She was not going to surrender to Kira.

She was not going to let him destroy her dream.


	8. You shook me all night long

\- Anna PoV -

"Bring me to Okinawa"

"Sorry?"

"I want to make love in the tropics. We'll be back before dawn if we get on the helicopter right now"

"Are you crazy?"

"Yes, what's new about it?"

L laughed and got up.

"What are you doing?"

"Didn't you just say that you want to make love in Okinawa?"

"Ahahaha! Are you really going to bring me there?!"

"Do you prefer to make love here instead?"

"Both. Gimme that shirt" Anna laughed "I don't want the chocolate scent to be covered by sweat"

"Don't you like to sniff love sweat? Have I found a way to not let you steal my clothes?" L joked.

"No I want you to save it for another shirt, now take this one off"

She kissed her husband again and again, ardently, and stripped him out of his white shirt. She was going to wear it the following day, just to annoy Watari.

"Mmmm.." Anna stopped a second to enjoy the view. L was thin but extremely well shaped. She always wondered where he stocked all the sweets he ate.

Then L pulled her back on the couch, leaned over her and slowly stripped Anna of her nightgown. She fell a little embarrassed to have him seeing her like that. Even though she has always been the one taking the initiative. Even back when she was fourteen she was confident enough about her looks to flirt nonchalantly. And that was before discovering that L was embarrassed enough for both, being her so young. After that discovery, she flirted as twice as hard than before, trying to convince him to get physical. It took her a year and a half and a pneumonia on L's side to make his reasoning slow enough to get somewhere near that goal.

L put his hands on her round stomach and kissed her gently.

"I love you", he murmured.

Anna felt relieved by his touch. He was not the guy to stop liking his woman just because she was pregnant. Maybe he found her even attractive.

"I love you too" she whispered back.

L moved his hands to her light bra and began caressing her breasts. She lost weight because of Kira, but she gained at least two sizes there in the last seven months, and got overly sensitive to any soliciting. Damn hormones, she felt like she was fourteen again. A virgin with a bra getting too small for her growing boobs.

"Finally...", she breathed when L removed the lace garment. He started stroking her nipples and that aroused her even more. She awkwardly felt her lower parts getting progressively wet and shaky. L smirked at her and continued the sweet torture to her loose breasts. She couldn't keep her moans anymore.

"Aah...L...p-please...s-stop..."

She couldn't take it to be so quickly pleased. Too easy. That was really embarrassing. But L seemed to enjoy the power he held on her.

"Mmh...L...stop...aaah!"

Anna was grasping for air while L got closer. She felt him getting progressively more aroused by her whining. Anna recognized the usual childish expectation she always felt before making love. She remembered herself faking confidence the first time they made it, scared that L would have changed his mind if she had shown any hesitation. In truth she was aroused, but also as frightened as hell. She had seen naked men before, but it's different when the man in object is yours. Moreover, she didn't know what to hope for, but she surely expected something...easier to handle. Anna smiled wondering why she was thinking so much about her fist time that day.

She moved her hands down to L's jeans and slowly stroked him. If he was good at that game she was no less. She caressed the fabric and kissed L on the neck. New moans added to hers.

"Fine...ok stop...stop it...let's just do it" L begged a while after. He released her breasts and only then she unbuttoned his baggy jeans, now pretty tight. She passed her tiny fingers on his unconstructed length. Eight inches all the way up. Eight inches all the way down. She damn loved that moment.

L pulled her on top to leave her the lead and Anna appreciated. She was noticing that her belly was making things a bit more complicated than usual.

She slowly moved down to let him in as much as possible and she moaned again. Deeper and stronger than before.

"AAAAAH..."

Damn hormones! She stayed still for a moment to appreciate the fulfilling sensation. When her legs stopped shaking a little, she started to move. She awkwardly continued to whine due to her unending orgasm. L was sure enjoying the show, but she really wished for him to have some fun too. She forced herself to move faster and her moans turned into little screams. The pleasure mixed with fatigue and some sweet pain. She loved him but she had to admit that he really wasn't easy to handle. Even after all that years, she never found the courage to tell him that. She was strength less when, after filling her once again he finally reached the climax.

"AAAAH!"

"Damn...L...you took ages...do you want to kill me?" she complained breathless.

"Oh...g-god..."

It finally was her time to enjoy the show. It was funny to see her usually composed husband losing it.

"...mmh..."

"L?"

"...Mmmh..."

"L!"

"...MMMH?!"

"Ready for Okinawa?" she teased.

"What?"

"We won't make it in time for the second round if you don't speed up a little"

"Forget it..." He answered, his hearth still pumping hard.

Anna chuckled and slowly kissed him. More a caring kiss than a passionate one this time.

"Can we go there tomorrow?"

"All right...I'll move the helicopter to the new hotel later"

"I love you"

"Same here"

Anna looked up smiling and then froze.

"L!"

"Mmmh?"

"IT'S 7 AM!"

"It's not"

"It is! Look at the clock!"

L unwillingly got up and gave a look at the digital clock under the tv.

"WHAT?!" L jumped up, raided the room for his clothes and run to the phone.

"But I said I want that t-shirt smelling like chocolate!"

"I cannot go to work naked!"

"Stupid social standards!"

L put on his jeans and dialed a number, trying to regain his composure.

"...Watari?", he said both nonchalantly and short breathed, "Can you please tell me the new hotel location?"

He waited for the elder man to answer.

"I...feel asleep..." he finally said in monotone eyeing Anna, tossing him a clean shirt she just took from the bedroom.

Anna felt satisfied with herself. She enjoyed to anger that old scum bag. If she had to spend hours with Watari hiding cameras and microphones, better to start the day the right way.


	9. The pretender

\- Anna PoV -

"This is Yagami's house" Watari stated. He stopped the car in front of a nice house, in a bourgeois district.

"Let's get this done. We have 45 minutes starting now"

"The family won't be back before one hour and a half"

"I don't care. I am a professional, I don't want to get caught and we must consider a time buffer for unforeseen events"

"It would have been easier if you got up earlier...", Watari pointed out, "...and it would have been safer if you just agreed to wear the outfit prepared for you".

"Sorry. Someone took his sweet time this morning...", Anna said with a smirk stressing the double meaning, "...by the way, Watari, I don't think that any computer company in Japan would send an old man and a seven months pregnant teenager as technicians".

Watari sighed at her statement. Nobody ever believed her to be a teenager in the last three years; but still, saying that always had an impact. She proudly dropped off the car in L's chocolate scented t-shirt, a red leather jacket and sweatpants.

"I get the things from the back of the car. Go and open the door"

"I am an hacker, not a burglar" she said stiff.

"Mr. Yagami gave us the keys. Here. Are you kind enough to unlock the door Anna?"

"You should have said that before" she said a bit annoyed.

Anna slowly walked to the entrance. She sure was not in her best shape. She should have been a little more careful that night. She took in well a assessed kick from the tiny thing inside her. Anna hissed and wondered if it was pissed by her naughty activities.

"Are you all right?"

"Mind your own business and get in", she answered bitterly.

"We must cooperate for the rest of the morning so, if you please, I demand you to be a little bit more polite" Watari eyed her and then reached the living room.

Anna shut the door behind her and resisted the urge to throw something at him.

"Get kicked from the inside of your guts and then come back to me asking to be polite!"

"You should have stayed at the hotel if you feel sick"

"I am pregnant I am not sick!"

Anna slammed open the hard case Watari brought with him and picked up some microphones and cameras.

"I am going to bug the first floor, you stay here Anna"

"Don't tell me what to do. I'll bug the bedrooms. You do the living room, the kitchen and the bathrooms"

"Does it make any difference?"

"The bedrooms grant more privacy. If anything suspicious has to happen it will obviously be in there". Anna explained it as politely as she could.

"What I was trying to say is that I can bug a bedroom, but I will do as you demand if that's going to make you happy" Watari retorted.

Anna could not take it anymore.

"Listen well! You might be an inventor or whatever but you are not an illegal ops coordinator as far as I remember. Just do as I say!". She turned to go upstairs.

"Not doing something does not mean that I am not able to do it. Being a criminal does not make you an expert in bugging a house"

"And being a wealthy honest middle aged man does not make you a better person!"

Anna spoke to Watari with all the resentment she saved up.

He never allowed her to meet the kids at Wammy's House, the orphanage for talented kids he founded, the place where L grew up. He never hosted her, even when she left her house and she was only sixteen. He never blessed her marriage to L, even if he was like a son to him. She was just a dirty criminal at the eyes of the old man.

"I am going to bug the bathroom" Watari said in a detached tone.

"Start from somewhere else"

"Am I not good enough for it maybe?"

"That's possible, but I just need to puke. Get lost" She probably was in Kira's house, with a man she despised, and her baby practicing kick boxing with her intestines. If L wasn't going to take her to Okinawa later that night, she would have chopped his head right away.

She threw up and moved to the room of Yagami's son. She opened the door and bagan spotting the best places where to place the cameras. She carefully choose the hiding spots and then checked for any trial she could have left. As her eyes browsed the floor she noticed some black dust near the door. From a closer look she noticed that the dust came from a broken graphite mine placed in the door.

"What the hell?"

Anna wondered why to put such a thing in there and then she realized that, if she didn't open the door in first place, the mine wouldn't have broken.

"Well well... Someone has something to hide in here"

She turned back and raided the room again. This time she actually looked at the stuff in there.

It was a regular student's room. Very tidy and clean. Considering the mine she imagined that the owner was the one doing all the cleaning up. If his mother kept coming in and out, the graphite trick made no sense. She saw many books on the shelfs. Novels and mangas, but mostly school books. She checked the pc. Then she observed a framed picture of the family, placed on the desk. The boy had to be the owner of the room. A posed guy with a cured look and nice clothes. Probably he was even polite and excelled in his studies. Probably he was going to enroll to a prestigious university and get a respectable job. Probably he was going to get married to an attractive woman, have two kids and live in a pretty house with a big plasma tv. A perfect life. The sort of perfect person her mother dreamed for her. She learned on her own skin that sort of perfection could not exist. There is always a dirty spot to hide. She looked again at the picture and all she could think about was one word: liar.

She felt a chill running through her spine. This guy was Kira. She didn't know why but if there was a suspect in this house it was him.

Anna took a deep breath. She showed her face to Kira's father. All she could do now was to trust her instincts and hope that Soichiro Yagami wouldn't talk about her to his son.

"What are you doing? In 30 minutes you haven't finished a single room". Watari appeared at the door.

"... Watari...", Anna blabbed, "...he...he is..."

"Anna are you all right?! If you don't feel good we can finish another day..."

Since when Watari cared about her?

"Anna what happened?!"

Anna caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror next to the bed. She didn't realize she was crying. She was a white as sheet and was trembling.

Watari approached her and leaded her to sit on the bed.

"I am going to finish the job here and we leave right afterwards"

"He is Kira". Anna said in a shaky voice.

Watari stared at her and did something unexpected. He sit next to her and took her hand.

"Everything is going to be all right. If this boy really is Kira, it means that L is going to catch him soon"

Anna looked at the old man. He smiled at her at then got up to place down a few more cameras and microphones. Too easy to be found. But she didn't complain. If this was Kira's room it was for the best to record every single movement of the occupant. She was not going to brake down this time. L found him. And if he didn't kill them yet, now they had the chance to counterattack.

"Let's go now"

"We must bug the remaining bedrooms"

"Already done. Can you walk?"

"Yes"

Anna picked up a new graphite mine from a suitcase on the desk and replaced the one she broke. Then she followed Watari to the car. She was about to call L and fill him in, but she stopped. She could talk to him later. Having him close by. Instead she turned to face Watari.

"Let's go to Kitamura's house"

"You are not in condition to continue today"

"I'm fine now. I was just shocked"

"Why do you think that Yagami's son is Kira?"

"Intuition maybe. He's too...perfect", Anna tried to explain, "Anyone so perfect has something to hide. A perfect life is too impersonal for any human being to bare it"

Watari stopped at a traffic light.

"I understand..."

Anna smiled bitterly.

"You don't believe me don't you?"

"All the contrary. Humans are egotistical creatures. We cannot live solely to please the others"

"Maybe that kid just likes to bully his classmates" she added with a little smile.

"We'll see"

Anna stared at the old man. He was strangely nice to her that day. Did she look so pitiful back in that room to soften him? If so, there was something she had to know, that she had to ask, while he has willing to answer her. Better said, while he has willing to answer her not too harshly.

"Watari..."

"Yes?"

Anna bit her lip and gathered her courage.

"Why do you hate me?"

Watary looked at her in surprise. She could not believe to have asked it. She never wanted to show any concerns about the opinion he had of her. But she could not take it anymore. If he had a problem with her, he had say it out aloud. She was going to face his answer keeping her head up.

"I...I don't hate you Anna!"

"It doesn't matter anyway if you... Wait what?!"

"I like you actually, why are you asking such a thing?"

She was the one surprised now. All she wanted was to have him confessing once and for all his dislike for her. Instead, he made all her beliefs crumble.

"But...why didn't you take me in at Wammy's? Why did you even forbid me to talk to the kids?"

"Kids are easy to influence Anna. You must do what you do because you choose to do it. I am responsible for their actions, until they choose a path that's their own".

Watari was speaking slowly and sincerely. Anna wished to retort but stayed silent and listened to him.

"Regarding your first question. It's very inappropriate to host someone like you in a orphanage. That kids have no one caring about them. You have a mother who loves you. She still calls me now and then to make sure you are fine"

Anna tried to digest the words of the old man. She would have never turned the kids into her little copycats. But yet... he was right on the latter part. She has been a spoiled brat. She still was.

She observed the city passing by and could not find a single appropriate thing to say.

"I am sorry". That was all she could make up.

"Me too. I didn't mean to make you feel unwelcomed"

"Thank you Watari"

Anna smiled silently. That horrible day ended up in a really unpredictable way. She found herself respecting the old man.

"Is she all good?", Anna asked awkwardly.

"She's glad that you are more a badass than Kira"

Yeah. Maybe she could like Watari in the end.


	10. Ordinary life

\- L PoV -

Yagami's family looked totally clean. L didn't know how a normal family life was, since he never grew up in a normal family. But the Yagami family seemed to have popped out of a tv show where everything was shiny and perfect. He was looking for a crack on that glittering surface. Maybe he was just negative, but he never met perfection in his life. It was unlikely to happen that moment.

As he was thinking that, Light, Yagami's son, came back home and went straight to his room.

He watched the boy trafficking with the door and noticed that he removed a graphite mine.

Too easy to understand why such a thing was there. Light was keeping an eye on unwanted visitors to his crib. He just got what he asked for. The crack.

Anna and Watari did a good job that morning. They noticed that detail and played along.

What he was afraid of was that Light set other traps and knew to be spied on already.

"What is he hiding to get so far?", asked Soichiro astonished.

L almost forgot he was there. Thankfully Watari asked the other cops to stay in a different hotel, and demanded Yagami to meet him a little later than usual, with the excuse that he was installing the monitors and other stuff.

"There's nothing strange about it. He's only seventeen, I used to do that too".

He used not. When he was seventeen he was hired by the Algerian government to investigate on the Omaria and Haouch Khemisti massacres. He had other things to keep himself busy with. He said that just to tease Yagami.

"By the way, you mentioned that your son is investigating on the Kira case and is researching on his own. Have you ever talked about the case together?"

Soichiro was taken aback.

"Don't you think that... Yeah, we discussed this case but I never leaked any reserved information! Besides, lately I rarely go home, and if that happens I go straight to bed".

"I understand...".

L was not convinced by Soichiro's reaction. He looked back at the screen and gazed at Light, which was going out again.

The boy came back 20 minutes later, with some magazines he just bought. L chew his thumb deep in thought observing Yagami's son. He was reading the new magazines laid on his bed, his face as grave as if they were school books.

L concluded that Light either was homosexual or was playing a part. Maybe both. He couldn't imagine anyone reading porno magazines in such a composed way.

"W-what? A serious boy like him...buys that sort of stuff?"

Soichiro was genuinely surprised. L resisted the urge to remind him the purpose of buying porno magazines. Purpose that his son was not pursuing. Instead, he decided to not be rude.

"Well...It's more than normal for a guy his age, but...I have the impression...", he searched for the best words, "..that he's acting to make us believe that he keeps the door to his room under control solely because he's hiding that sort of magazines in there".

"Ryuzaki, are you really suspicious of my son?"

"Of course. Otherwise, why did I put cameras in your house and Kitamura's?"

He felt sorry saying that to the chief. L had to admit that Soichiro was a good man and he unwillingly suspected of Light. But that boy was nonetheless suspicious.

They stayed there, observing the family until eleven o'clock. He even pulled out some tricks to observe Light's reactions, but the boy maintained his immaculate aura. He spent all evening studying.

At a certain point Watari entered the room to inform them that two criminals, appeared on the news for the first time that evening, died by heart attack.

Kira needed names and faces to kill.

Anyone that didn't watch the news didn't know neither the names nor the faces of those criminals.

Thus..."Anyone that didn't watch the news cannot be Kira...".

"That means my family is innocent!". Yagami was overwhelmed by joy.

But what L said was barely the conclusion of a syllogism.

"Today Kira killed two criminals guilty of very petty crimes, right after that their names appeared on the news...", L said in monotone, "... and even if this was the first day that we placed the cameras, in Yagami's house there was an atmosphere so innocent that couldn't pass unnoticed".

L chewed on his finger, knees to his chest.

He was definitely not going to be played by a high school student. That boy could be Kira. He probably was the one trying to kill his wife. He was the one wanting him dead. L was going to prove him guilty.

"...L?"

He turned to listen to Watari.

"Yes?"

"Shall I keep monitoring the deaths tonight? If Kira killed only small criminals he might commit more murders later..."

L read through the lines. They could check the following day if any death occurred while the family was sleeping...Watari just wanted to know if HE was going to take night shifts.

L looked outside of the window. The topical sea sure would have been a nice change from the sad winter in Tokyo. But he couldn't have fun while his first suspect could take a wrong step.

"Please, do so. Sorry for keeping you awake Watari", he said regretfully.

The old man sure understood. He could sleep as much as he wanted of course. All he had to do was to inform Anna that she was not going to go to Okinawa that night. Again.

"No problem".

...

In the following 5 days the criminals continued to die. L could not find a single piece of evidence proving that Light was Kira. Not a single wrong move.

For some reason the fact that he couldn't prove Light guilty didn't change the idea that he was Kira.

In truth, the fact that Watari informed him that Anna shared the same feelings only strengthened his suspicions. The only acceptable conclusion was that Kira, better said, Light, wasn't going to be caught with his hands in the jam. He likely noticed that he was spied on the very moment that he set step in his room five days before. There were plenty of ways to not be recorded by the cameras if he realized that.

He could have asked someone to kill in his place while he was out buying his useless pornos. He could have killed outside the house. Anything.

"We are going to remove the cameras from Yagami's and Kitamura's houses".

The squad was showing a mix of relief and disappointment. L noticed that after only five days of night shifts his agents resembled shipwrecked sailors. With long beards, dirty clothes and messy hair. It was mean, but he wished them to try and suffer from insomnia for a while. Oh how he wished that polished cops to give it a try...

"Do not despair! We'll work hard and start over again."

Yagami seemed to be pumped up by the news, but L couldn't allow himself to feel sorry for him.

"Maybe I should rephrase myself. I meant to say that we haven't found anything suspicious from the recordings".

"Which means that you are suspecting that Kira is one of them?"

"...", once again L had to bring bad news, "...let's say...that there is a chance of 5% for that".

No one probably noticed the meaning of his words. They were all too sleepy and tired. Not even Matsuda, who despite all the lows, was at least good with numbers. If five days before there was a 5% chance that Kira was in one of the two families; now there was a 5% chance that Kira was Light and no one else. And that if he had to stick only to facts. By guts Light was Kira at the 70%. But still... The killings didn't stop even while he was watching him through the cameras. He didn't know by which means Kira could kill. Even if it was enough for Kira to wish for someone's death to make it happen...if he was human, he should display some changes in his expression, in his behavior...instead L couldn't gaze a glimpse of anything.

If Kira really was Light his psyche was not the one of a human being anymore. He could kill without feeling a thing. Not guilt, fear, thrill, neither joy. He could murder Anna and his unborn baby and not waste any emotion for them.

For a moment L was tempted to believe that all this was not to be blamed on humans at all. But what about the innocent Fbi agents? What about the need for a name and a face to kill someone? What was going on was not a divine punishment. It wasn't a deity who was slaughtering all those people.

It was the operate of a small childish human, who mistook his self for a death god.

Kira was real. He was a serial killer, and what L did best was to catch this sort of human scum. Kira was going to pay for what he did. Justice was going to win. He just had to confess or kill someone in front of L.

The problem was how.


	11. Chasing cars

\- L PoV -

Two months passed since he removed the cameras from Yagami's house.

He didn't change his opinion regarding Light. He studied everything about that boy. He learned his life style, his habits, his ambitions. He had a plan. All he needed was time. And he was willing to give Kira a short respite. In four weeks he would have played his trump card anyway. In four weeks it would have been open fire.

Only four weeks. He was not going to waste that time. Not at that time.

"Can I hold her too?". Anna was looking at him with a tired and mocking smirk.

"Sorry", L smiled back to her.

"May I ask if you thought a name for your daughter?"

L noticed that lately Watari and Anna spent a lot more time together. He didn't know how that happened, but sure it was good. He was glad to have the two of them talking to each other.

"He dislikes anything I pick"

"Are you telling me that you don't have a name yet?!"

L curiously stared at Watari. "She's only one day old", he replied in a innocent tone.

"L! What are you thinking, you must pick a name right now!"

The usually composed man was as puzzled as if it was his own nephew they were talking about. L resisted the urge to laugh. It was not really in his style but he could have hugged the old man in that moment.

"The name is an important thing...especially at a time like this". He smiled at the oldster. "I want my daughter to have a name that suits her. I couldn't pick a name before meeting her"

Anna sighed.

"So now that you're done meeting her do you have any suggestions?"

He read through the lines and stared at the baby that still was in his arms. She was going to stay there. Anna could cuddle her all day later.

"I want a name that reminds of something good..."

"Forget anything religious this very moment" Anna was already eyeing him in a bad way. He narrowed down the list. She had some right to be picky too...

"No...I meant...something that makes people happy". He had to take his time to find the best words.

"Like?"

L had to think about it.

"Watari...what makes you happy?"

"Kindness, hope, the usual simple things I suppose". The old man smiled gently.

Simple things. He was not used to that. For the good or the worst his life has always been crazy. The same for Anna. He looked down, as the tiny thing he was holding tried to chew his thumb.

She looked so funny repeating his silly habit. Too small though to say if her looks resembled more him or Anna. Having her little hands grabbing his fingers was the sweetest thing he ever experienced. And he was quite fond of sweet stuff.

By thinking that, an idea popped in his mind. Anna was definitely going to insult him but he decided to give it a try.

"How do you like Candy?"

Silence.

Well it was a funny name but it was sweet and cute...

"Emh...we say happiness, kindness and hope...", Watari hesitated, "...and you come up with Candy...?"

"Candies make me happy" he stated honestly.

Anna was staring at him like she was petrified.

"But...if you hate it...it's ok..."

Damn. How old was he?! Five years old? Who on earth would call his own daughter after a sweet treat?!

"It's perfect...!"

Anna said that with her mouth dropped open.

"She's as sweet as hell and she sure is something we both love".

L and Anna chuckled.

"Is it a silly name? Maybe we should find something with a deeper significance?"

"Forget it! This is the first decent name you choose in your life!"

"It's decided then. Sorry Watari, but you were the one suggesting something simple..."

Watari was thinking trough it.

"I find myself agreeing with you two", he said in the end with a big grin he was not accustomed to.

"Can you pass me my little Candy now?!"

"Oh com'on you can stay with her all day!"

"She's hungry you idiot!" Anna said accepting no further retaliations. "You can have her back later ok?"

L laughed realizing why the baby was chewing his thumb.

"I shall go to the hotel so that when the agents arrive I can reassure them that you are coming back to work soon". Watari made it to leave them alone.

"Yes please, tell them that I am stalking Light or whatever they are keen to believe".

"Watari, could you sneak some candies from the vending machines please?", Anna asked with glittering eyes. She had to cut off all the tasty stuff from her diet, after that the doctors noticed the silly amounts of sugar she was eating. Funny thing she was perfectly healthy and that annoyed her even more.

"I am not sure the doctor would let me..."

Anna put on a sad face to soften Watari, who obviously didn't. But actually, L thought that buying some sweets to celebrate was a great idea.

"I'll get them".

"...predictable..."

The oldster sighed and left the room. L followed him to the front door and then headed for the hospital hall. The vending machines did not seem to grant him much choice, but he was nonetheless going to bring some sneaks back to Anna. As he scanned the products, he noticed a familiar reflection on the glass.

Right behind him, Mr. Yagami just entered in the hall and was waiting to be checked in with a ticket at hand. It was nearly 5.00 am and he was alone in the wide local.

L mentally thanked Anna for forcing him to wear Deneuve's clothes in the hospital. He accepted solely because the staff was much more polite and condescending to him when he was dressed and combed like a decent person. That, together with few friendly words to the infirmary, and he was authorized to visit Anna at any time. Maybe now he could use that outfit to not be noticed by the chief as well. He nonchalantly raised the hoodie of his designer plush and straightened his back.

He bought some candies, cookies, and chocolate. After that he turned around and tried to walk across the hall.

Twelve meters to the maternity wing...

Fifteen...

Ten...

"Excuse me...", the chief asked out, "...where I can find a doctor quickly? I need to be at work in a couple of hours...".

L ignored him and continued on his way like he did not hear a single word.

"Excuse me, you...boy with the red hoodie! Can you help me please?!". Soichiro grabbed L's shoulder and forced him to pay attention.

The young man rolled his eyes and regained his hunched posture. It was useless to keep acting if he had to speak anyway.

"I am going to call a doctor Mr. Yagami".

"..."

L turned to see Soichiro astonished face.

"...Ryuzaki?"

"What are you doing here Mr. Yagami? Do you feel sick?"

"I...I...no. Just check-ups..."

L felt like he was some sort of circus attraction. What the hell was he staring at?

"Please, do your check-ups during the day chief...", he sighed, "...no one is going to visit you now unless it's an emergency".

"Oh. Fine...thank you".

"I will inform Watari that you have the morning off. He's going to pass on the information to the others".

"Ok, hopefully I'll finish early"

Soichiro seemed to be done staring. L returned to his steps heading for the maternity wing, when the chief suddenly yelled something.

"Oh! Congratulations on becoming a father, Ryuzaki!"

It felt like the chief just pulled out a gun and shot him in the chest. L was grasping for air, taken aback by the lighthearted shouting of the cop.

Mr. Yagami perceived to have said something wrong.

"...I...hope Reel is fine...please tell her I'm happy for you two...".

L wished that the chief had simply kept his mouth shut. That was the one thing L was most worried about. That Soichiro would give him away in other circumstances. He could easily spill off to Kira all he knew about Anna, about Candy and about their easily traceable whereabouts. L knew that he was just being polite, but with his son probably being to one trying to slaughter his entire family, the casual talk was something unbearable.

"MR. YAGAMI!" He turned back again to look at the man in the eyes, his blood boiling up. "I demand you to forget about my wife. Forget her face. Forget her crimes. Forget about my poor baby! Forget you even saw me here! Most importantly, if I eventually get killed by Kira, forget to contact Reel or anyone around her!"

With the last sentence Yagami froze, in the middle of the corridor. If it was rare to see L fixed up, it was almost a once in a life experience to see him totally altered.

"I..."

"This is not a request. It is an order that must be followed! Immediately and without a complaint. Do you understand chief?!"

"...I do but...". Soichiro looked away. It looked like he definitely had to complain.

L didn't bother to listen and walked away as fast as he could. He was so happy just a moment ago, and now... Why did the chief have to show up and ruin everything?

He just wished to stay by Anna's side for few hours, cuddle his newborn daughter and briefly forget about Kira and the rest of the world. All he wanted were a few hours to be lived like any normal person. One of those simple things Watari was talking about. As usual, a dream not to be granted to someone like him.


	12. Some nights

\- L PoV -

It was fascinating to see Anna at work. In front of a computer she was able to catalyze all her focus in codes, numbers and algorithms at a speed that L could hardly follow. In that moment she was lying on the bed, hacking the servers belonging to the University of Tokyo.

"That kid should be sulking"

"He did so bad?"

L stalked Light even at the admission exams. Soichiro's son apparently wanted to follow his father's steps and become a cop.

"Oh no, if you didn't take part at the admission tests he would have come in first place"

"Thankfully he did not. I do this job since I was a kid, I should not be beaten by a newbie"

"Do you know that the top dog has to make a speech for the less educated newbies?"

"...are you serious?"

"You better start writing down some encouraging words"

"Aaah, that's boring...", L sighed, "...I'll just make it up on the spot"

"Now then...". Anna quickly gave few commands to the machine. "Sorry dear, you'll have to share the podium tomorrow".

"All good. We don't want a spoiled serial killer to cry because he came in second". L grinned. "If things go as I planned he's going to be in enough trouble already".

"Have I been a good girl?"

"Nope. You behaved really bad, you just committed your umpteenth crime, I should put in jail right now", L joked.

Anna laughed as he leaned to kiss her cheek.

L laid by her side and she shut down her Mac.

"Are you going to handcuff me?", she said stroking his chest.

"At the moment I won't be particularly aroused by the things I usually do at work..."

"I am envious of the other criminals..."

"Anna...". L lingered for a moment. "Once that I catch Kira...I might want to quit"

Anna's hand stopped stocking him.

"Do you mean...you wanna quit me? Because the L I know is too fond of his job to quit it"

She was looking worried.

"I guess...I cannot see the fun part in it anymore"

Anna gave him a light kiss.

"It's because of this situation. If it wasn't for Kira it would be as entertaining as usual"

L thought about it.

"Maybe..."

"Soooo...", Anna stressed, back to her bitchy mode, "...you mean that you were usually aroused by handcuffing other criminals?"

L laughed, letting her kiss his neck and caress his abdomen. She was too talented at making jokes out of everything he said.

"Would you make me change my mind and experience something better than that?"

"Do not dare me detective...". But she was already far beyond to be dared.

"Mmmh..."

L moaned as she gave a sneaky bite to his ear lobe. He could feel her soft breasts brushing his chest. He never really cared about her bra size, she was sexy enough with a third, but after the last few months...he totally appreciated the boost. She pulled her left leg above and over him and moved on top.

"You should rest tonight, if you want to make a good speech".

"I have some problems falling asleep lately..."

"Oh really?!". She laughed. "Since when you don't get a all night sleep?"

"Not long. Nine or ten years, nothing to worry about..."

"I'd better knock you out for few hours then".

She stripped out of her mini dress and let him contemplate the brand new silk lingerie she bought that morning.

If she was beautiful before Candy, now she broke down that record.

L enjoyed the panorama and allowed his thoughts to pass down from his brain to his body.

He pulled off his shirt and grabbed his woman from the waist. Thankfully that night Candy was already sleeping and all the cops left early. He had all the time to enjoy some sex without risk to get late.

Anna violently pushed him back laid and continued to bite his lobe, kiss his neck and stroke his lower abdomen.

"You are pretty aggressive tonight wifey...", L breathed out.

"...and you are aroused pretty fast hubby"

L noticed that she was right, he was grown hard. Whatever. They both were already in the mood to have some fun.

He grabbed her waist again and easily rolled her down, switching positions.

"EHI!" Anna complained. "STOP RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW I LIKE IT BETTER THE OTHER WAY AROUND!"

"Oh come on you are always on top..."

"And we are going to keep it like that, since I'd like to walk normally afterwards!"

"You don't need to go anywhere afterwards"

"It's not about that!" Anna retaliated, getting unusually red. "For once and all, it's quite demanding to let your eight inches leading the game! We shouldn't be doing it yet anyway!".

L was taken aback.

"Wait... when did you take measurements?!"

This discussion was a little awkward, since he always made sure to trail off when Anna brought up that topic. He always found funny to keep Anna in the dark regarding that detail.

"One of the rare times I found you asleep", she replied nonchalantly.

"You are a pervert"

"So let me lead"

"No"

"Please! I won't come if I don't!"

"Let's see..."

L unbuttoned his jeans and threw the remaining of his clothes and Anna's in a corner of the room.

"I say...I won't!...I...I..."

Anna reacted as usual when L began to firmly stroke her breasts.

"Aaaah!"

"What were you saying?"

"This...it's not fair! I'm breastfeeding...aaah! You are cheating! L!"

That was actually cheating, knowing her customary weak point. L used the distraction to get inside Anna without further complaints. He felt the heat of her body overwhelming him and he couldn't resist the urge to get a little deeper.

"Aaaaah...L..."

He moved down to lick of some of the milk she spilled and inadvertently found a new way to please her.

"OH GOD!"

Nice discovery, but better to keep it for another occasion. L moved back up and continued what he was doing a moment before.

"Aaah...can I keep on...leading?", he moaned between one thrust and the next.

"You must...don't know how this is happening but...aaah...you must! AAAH...!"

"Can I get...ah...a bit rough?"

"I said you must!"

"What...all eight inches?"

"AAH! Just shut up...and do...THAT!"

"By the way... ahhh...", L couldn't resist to tease her, "... I... am... nine"

"AAAAH... you... liar..."

L felt that Anna was about to come and tried to slow down a bit to not beat her timing. But he was dramatically close to his limit to let her waist time. That was a first.

"I'm serious!", he joked. But deep down he wanted to spread some doubts.

"Let's grab...a ruler..."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"..SCREW YOU!" Anna barked when he really stopped. "AAAH...MOVE! AAAAH...", she cried.

L was so aroused by Anna's reaction that he could not bring himself to linger anymore.

He pushed hard. He felt her body getting stiff and her heartbeat getting faster. He pushed all his length inside her. Then he did that again. And again. That was incredibly pleasurable. Incredibly satisfying.

"Ah...aaah...aaaah...L...aaaaah...ah...aaah..."

Anna's climax was so blunt that L lost it and came himself.

"AAAAH!"

He was breathing hard, still moving slowly inside her. He didn't want to stop.

"This is great...", she whispered smiling like a child.

"I guess...something is...", L was breathing hard, completely strength less, "...a bit different than usual uh?"

"You're going to lead from now on"

"Sure thing that...I am going to lead"

"Do you think it's due to the childbirth?"

"If so...let's make another and see...if it keeps getting better..."

Anna chuckled.

"I guess...it's good enough like this!"

L hugged his wife, short breathed, and fell on the bed.

He considered the eventuality of a second round, but maybe he could even sleep a couple of hours that night.

Until that Candy would wake them up to be fed.

That, after all, was a nice way to begin a new day.


	13. Know your enemy

\- Light PoV -

That morning was going to be boring. A waste of time. At least, starting the university would grant him more time to accomplish his goal and find L.

"I invite Yagami Light to get on the stage..."

Light got up with his speech in mind. He expected to be the one doing that at the opening ceremony. He was accustomed to be the best student since first grade.

"...and Hideki Ryuga. Both as representatives of the new students".

Light gave his speech and eyed at the boy following him. Hideki was a famous idol, but this was a different person. He was informed that another come first...

He saw that guy at the exams. He was frequently reproved for sitting with his bare feet on the desk. A total weirdo dressed like a hobo, with messy hair and dark circles under his eyes. He could imagine him to be addicted to some drugs. It was quite annoying to believe that he made the same score as he did.

"Yagami..."

Light was startled when the other one called him.

"You're the son of Soichiro Yagami, of the Tokyo police, is it correct? I know that the high opinion you have of him is comparable only to your sense of justice..."

It felt like that guy made his researches.

"That's why you want to become a police officer, right? I have been told that in the past you helped solving some cases and now you are investigating on the Kira case on your own"

Light let him blab. The last thing he wished for was a weird groupie guy to cheer for him.

"You know...I trust your talent and your sense of justice. If you promise to not mention this to anyone...", he lingered a second, "...I'd like to talk about something really important regarding the Kira case"

Light wondered if it was better to continue to ignore the weirdo or to listen what he had to say of such relevance about him.

Eventually his curiosity won.

"I'll keep the secret...what is it?"

"I am L".

Light froze. He felt sweat sticking to his tuxedo. What was that guy saying? Was he totally crazy? L would never be so stupid to introduce himself as L!

He took a deep breath.

In a cautionary way, he had to act normal.

He took a deep breath and turned around.

"If so, I am admired"

"Thanks. I approached you to ask for your support in solving the Kira case"

Light shook hands with the self-proclaimed L and seated back, waiting for the end of ceremony.

The weirdo pulled off his shoes once again and Light resisted the urge to make a face.

That could not be L!

But he realized that if he was...in both cases...he could not lift a finger on him.

If he was L, he must have shown his face to his father. Consequently, if he were to die anytime soon, Light would become the main suspect. Plus, if he tried to kill him using the name Hideki he might have killed the idol by mistake. That was obviously calculated.

This person...surely introduced himself to study his reaction. To see if meeting L in person troubled him.

When the ceremony finished Light sneaked out of the university as fast and nonchalantly as he could.

"Yagami!"

Damn. Not fast enough...

"Yagami...", the Weirdo addressed him, "..it was nice to meet you"

"The same here"

"See you in class..."

What was that a threat?!

"Sure!"

Light stared at the guy as he left on a limo.

He hated him! What was that show for?! WHAT THE FUCK!

He came back home and smashed the door beside him. Ignoring his sister. Ignoring his usual good manners.

"FUCK! HE PLAYED ME!"

He couldn't believe that things ended up that way...

"He played you?"

Light gazed at the death god by his side. He owed him his weapon, his Death Note, but he was such a stupid and annoying being to have around!

"Damn L...I NEVER BEEN HUMILIATED TO THIS RATE BEFORE!"

He could not kill him, that was a way to give away that he was indeed Kira...

He had to calm down.

To gather his thoughts and plan his counterattack...

Pfff...

Ahahah...

"AHAHHAHAHA!"

He was worried about nothing.

"Fine. No need to feel down, all this means that he has no evidence proving me guilty..."

He was going to play the part of the friendly class mate. He was going to be nice. He was going to gain his trust.

"Watch out L...when I'll have gathered enough information I am going to kill you and your entire team".


	14. Tennis court

\- Light PoV -

He has been waiting in front of the tennis court half an hour. Why the hell that damn L, or his bad copy as well, would schedule a game at 7.00 AM if he was going to be late anyway? Maybe he was studying him from some place nearby? That bastard could not have lost the bus since he had a personal chauffeur and a limo ready at hand...

And didn't look like he was a hard sleeper...

What the fuck was he doing? Was he playing him?! He purposely made him wait like an idiot?!

"Yagami!"

Light turned around to face the weird guy.

"Ryuga...I thought you were lost!"

He said that with a fake smile. He had to act better. He had to play nice...

"Sorry for being late"

Light scanned his counterpart. He showed up with the usual clothes and no gym bag. Only a racket. Like he just rushed out of his cavern. Or like he did not care to change clothes after the match.

Was he expecting to not spill a single sweat drop?!

"Say Ryuga...were you aware of my level before challenging me at this game?"

Light smirked at his rival. He was going to regret not suggesting another sport...

"Don't worry Yagami. I was juniors champion back in England".

And there was another blunt statement from the so called L. He either made it up or he just slipped off some relevant information.

Light considered acceptable picking up the topic. Who cared.

"Were you born in England?"

"I lived there since I was five. But do not bother to investigate on L starting from his childhood. You won't discover a thing about me".

Was it so? That guy was playing with fire.

Light was waiting for the other one to start when he suddenly glimpsed a ball flashing beside him.

"15-0"

"What...you start out just like that?!"

"Initiative is determinant"

That son of a bitch. Maybe he really was good at tennis. Anyhow...if he let him win that would look suspect. But not even L could profile him just by looking at his behavior in a tennis court...In the end anyone would try to win a match like this right?!

From that moment onwards he was playing to win. Not only in the court.

"4 - 4!"

Someone was keeping the score.

Light ignored the crowd gathering around them and focused on the game. That was no more a friendly match, it looked more like a war call.

L was likely going to interrogate him later, to make him slip something only Kira could know...he had to take advantage from that...

He had to ask L to bring him to the headquarters.

He said that. Initiative is determinant.

"Yagami wins 6-4!"

There it was. As predicted.

"Congratulations Yagami..."

"Back to you...I haven't been playing seriously in a while"

Light smiled. No need to act. He definitely liked to win.

"I am thirsty. Wanna drink something? There is something I must ask you..."

"You won. Ask whatever you like. Before that, I shall inform you on one detail..."

"What?"

"Actually, Yagami...I believe that you are Kira"

Light stopped walking.

"Ahaha! So I am Kira?"

"There is a chance in a hundred..."

Smart way to put it. Even if he said 1%, there was no chance to get in the HQ if he was suspected to be Kira.

That bastard played him again...

"Here...", light leaded the way to a cafe nearby, "... This is one of my favorite places"

"Thanks for bringing me here"

Light observed L as he pulled out from his pocket a series of documents regarding Kira. Mostly reserved data, never appeared on the news.

He had to be careful not give out that he knew what the files were about.

One of them regarded the Fbi agents he killed few months before. The others where pictures of some experiments he made at very beginning of his crusade as Kira.

He almost fell for a low trick when L suddenly stopped to answer the phone.

Few seconds later his own mobile rang as well.

"Yagami! Your father..."

"He had a heart attack...!"


	15. Godspeed you

\- Ukita PoV -

Ten days passed since chief Yagami had that heart attack. Thank god, he was still alive. Kira was not the one to be blamed for his misfortune, otherwise they would be at his funeral in that moment. In any case, the atmosphere at the headquarters was nonetheless depressing. Without the chief he and the other agents felt lost. They obviously knew that the one in charge was officially L...but the chief was their unspoken social leader. There was something in L that made it impossible for anyone to get attached. He was a great detective but, personally, Ukita felt like there was a closed door between him and the rest of the world. They were working together. And that was about it. They were never going to have a beer together and chitchat about their ups and downs or their private lives...If that guy had a life outside his job.

The squad that week did nothing but work work work and again work.

They were discussing if to close the researches for Naomi Misora, when Watari rushed inside the room. He was likely bringing some important news. Those were the only occasions when he intruded in their discussions.

"Ryuzaki!"

"What's going on?"

"Look at Sakura Tv! Something terrible is happening!"

The old man turned on the tv, and on the screen appeared a cheap journalist, claiming to be taken hostage by Kira.

The room was filled by a strange atmosphere. Everyone hoped that the news brought by the oldster were, for once, at their favor.

The man detailed that the tv station received four vhs. The first one was supposed to prove to the journalists that the consignor was Kira. The second one was supposed to be aired in few minutes.

Similarly to what done in the first tape, Kira was going to prove his identity and give a message to the world.

"Could this be just a make-believe?!"

Ukita couldn't believe his eyes, and his ears as well. What could happen if Kira's speech was broadcasted?

_I am Kira_

He felt cold sweat dripping down his neck. Sakura tv really aired the message. The screen was showing nothing but the name 'Kira', written in the same font L usually adopted. He really hoped that what he was looking at was a deceit...

_If this video is broadcasted on April 18th, at 17.59, as I demanded, now it should be 17.59 and 38...39...40 seconds_

The squad was silent...what that message meant?

_Now I ask you to change station and turn your tv on Taiyo tv. The showman Kazuhiko Hibima will die by heart attack at six o'clock_

"W-what?!"

"This can't be!"

"Change!"

Watari changed station and they witnessed at the death of the poor man. He was not a criminal. He was not a cop. But nonetheless, Kira killed him in front of millions of people.

Few moments later Kira announced the death of another man. He was going to kill again. Was that message was going to be, only a public massacre?! What Kira wanted was to show that he could kill at will anyone opposing him?

"Kira said he is going to give a massage to the world. We must stop him before that happens!", L affirmed, and Ukita could not agree more.

They had to do something, and very quickly.

Matsuda and Aizawa ran to the phone.

"Damn! All phones are busy..."

"I know someone working there but the mobile is turned off!"

"Shit!"

Ukita could not bear to wait there.

"I am going there and I will stop them!"

"Wait!"

Matsuda tried to hold him back, but he was already gone.

He ran to the elevator and waited for it to arrive.

When the doors slid open he rushed in and forced a lady holding a infant to jump out of the way to not be smashed on the wall.

"Ehi! Who the fuck do you think you are?!", she barked.

"Police! Let me in!"

He usually was a polite person, but this was an emergency. He was trembling with anger and stress. Kira had to be stopped at all costs and he might not make it in time. Ukita impatiently waited to reach the basement, when a pale hand with a fancy ring pressed the emergency button to stop the elevator.

"Tell me where you are going".

"What are you doing?! You are obstructing a public officer! It's a crime!"

"Did L send you? Where? Answer me".

Ukita was taken aback. How did she know he was working with L?

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Someone who's going to make you lose your job if she tells your boss that you nearly made her drop his daughter", she hissed, "Now quickly tell me what the fuck is going on up there!"

Ukita stared at the bad mouthed girl and tried to read through the lines. Was she saying that...that...

"ANSWER RIGHT NOW MR. UKITA!"

"Kira is on Sakura tv and is about to give a speech to the world! He killed at least two men already! I must stop this now! LET ME GO!"

He had no idea why she was so upset but she sure was who he imagined she was. How could she know his name otherwise?

He looked down at the red head and noticed that she turned quiet.

She slowly raised her hand and allowed the elevator to continue falling to the ground.

"I guess that you are satisfied with the explanation Miss. L?"

"...", the girl was staring at the wall, deep in thought, "...just go and stop that killer before he turns this nation into his sick playground"

They didn't share another word until they reached level -1 and he left the elevator. In that moment he heard the girl shouting something before disappearing behind the doors, like she suddenly realized something very important.

"Mr. Ukita! Cover your face!"

He did not need a girl resembling Lily Cole to tell him what to do. She might have been L's wife but sure she didn't share his acumen. Kira needed a name to kill and he had no time to waste.

The studios were not far away and if he pressed on the gas he might even make up for the minutes wasted in that elevator. When he would be finished with Sakura tv, first thing he was going to tell L to put his wife back in place. She was too full of herself and she obstructed his work. He somehow understood why the detective raised a wall between his life and his job. She definitely was a hindrance.

Few minutes later, Ukita made it to the Sakura tv building.

He jumped off his car and tried to get in. The moment he pushed the door he noticed that it was locked from inside.

"DAMN!"

He pulled off the badge with the fake name that L gave him, and tried to convince a security guard to let him in.

For some reason that man was not going to listen. He banged hard on the glass door, refusing to give up like that.

That damn idiot of a guard would have listened to him.

"SHIT! OPEN!"

He gave that order taking out his gun and pointing it at the guard.

"Ugh..."

He felt his arms heavy...like something was wrong.

And he understood.

He should have listened to Lily Cole.

She was one step ahead of L.

She realized that Kira would not have allowed anyone to stop the broadcast.

Kira was not stupid...he necessarily gained a new weapon before putting on a show like this.

He tried to press the button on his belt to send an alarm to the others.

No one had to come there...

No one else had to be killed by Kira...

Kira didn't need a name anymore.

"Thanks for bringing me here"

Light observed L as he pulled out from his pocket a series of documents regarding Kira. Mostly reserved data, never appeared on the news.

He had to be careful not give out that he knew what the files were about.

One of them regarded the Fbi agents he killed few months before. The others where pictures of some experiments he made at very beginning of his crusade as Kira.

He almost fell for a low trick when L suddenly stopped to answer the phone.

Few seconds later his own mobile rang as well.

"Yagami! Your father..."

"He had a heart attack...!"


	16. Save tonight

_Thanks everyone for reading until this chapter!_ _I will update this story weekly, so please stay tuned_

.

\- Anna PoV -

The tropical water was glittering in the moonlight. She dipped her feet and a cool chill ran through her nerves. Few steps and her ankles disappeared in the black sea of the night.

Anna gazed at the horizon. Infinite, simple and beautiful. She rarely appreciated simplicity, but lately she changed her mind. She liked to lie down cuddling her baby, waiting for L to join them to spend few hours together. She enjoyed to turn on her computer just to listen to music. She loved to close her eyes and fake that everything was going to be fine. That Kira was going to disappear from her perfect life. She was desperately trying to do that now.

That night was barely 10.00 PM when L grabbed her hand, she picked up Candy and they literally escaped to Okinawa. In the last months that place became their secret refuge. Far from death, far from people, far from reality. They never talked about Kira there. That murderer disappeared and became nothing but a bad dream.

But not that night.

L lost one of the people he was responsible to keep alive. Not like Naomi Misora, that nobody knew was danger. Kira killed one of his chosen agents in national broadcast. Ukita died like an annoying bug, flying too close to fire. Anna couldn't figure out how Kira suddenly managed to kill without knowing names, but he did. The more time they wasted, the more Kira resembled a death god. She couldn't help herself from thinking such a terrible thing. And she knew that Kira was human, a heartless killer. But the people watching Sakura tv from their houses, safe and sound in front of a tv, what would believe after listening to Kira's speech?!

That criminal sold himself as a righteous knight, whose actions were meant for the greater good. His murders were meant to free the world from evil, from sin and crime.

Many gullible persons might have fallen for it, forgetting that humans were not meant to judge if another's life was worth to be taken away before the real God considered it a proper thing to do.

She turned back looking for L. He was playing with Candy waiting for her to have a walk.

Before going to Okinawa, he spent an hour watching the videos Soichiro retrieved from Sakura tv. The chief rushed out of the hospital to break into the studios with an armored truck. He didn't manage to stop the broadcast, but his actions allowed them to prepare themselves. Kira crafted two more vhs. One was a useless piece of junk, made in case the police bowed and decided to support his actions. But the other one was the reason why Anna couldn't find peace that night. In case of refusal, Kira demanded the head of the police director or L's. And if they refused or cheated, Kira promised to slaughter the top dogs of the police corps from all around the globe. Sure thing L would have never let anyone die in his place. Consequently, if they didn't figure out something very soon, he was dead meat.

A single tear fell from her eye to burn her cheek.

What could they possibly do?

"Anna...", L tried to reassure her, "...I'll figure out something. I promise I'll be all right"

He looked quiet. Did he realize what happened just few hours ago?!

"How can you say that... Kira does not need a name to kill anymore! He is a damn monster!". She burst into tears. "Please let's run away together...please..."

"There is no need to run away ok?".

He put a hand under her chin and forced her to look up.

"Listen. That's not Kira. It's a fake. Maybe more dangerous than the original, but still, a fake. A copycat worshipping Kira. I have something in mind, do you trust me?"

"A fake?"

"A fake"

"What does it change?"

"It gives me a margin to work with"

"I can't see that"

"You know, we see these sort of things from different perspectives"

"Catch and get caught..."

"That's why you immediately realized that Kira was stronger than usual"

"And that's why you see the fake?"

"Just trust me, it's a fake"

"What are we going to do?"

"Can you analyze the videos?"

"Yeah..."

"..."

L's face turned a bit grave before he continued speaking.

"...Anna...", he tried, holding her hand tight, "...now names are not enough to be safe..."

"I know...just...come back to me"

Anna knew what was in his head. For the good or the worst, she always knew what was in there, the moments he lost his straight face.

"I am sorry..."

She let her own head fall in his chest. She breathed into his skin. Salt, from the sea. Strawberry, from the candy she passed him during the journey. That was going to be the last trail her husband was going to leave in her memory until the case was closed.


	17. Mama I'm coming home

_Hi everyone! Thanks for reading_ ㈵6 _Hope you enjoy_ ㈍9

.

\- Anna PoV -

"Hi mom".

Anna stared at the stunned middle aged woman at the door. She didn't age well. She was a bit chubby and she grew some white hair. But Anna thought that she was nonetheless beautiful. With the baby blue eyes she inherited and the gentle lineaments she could dream of. It hurt, not talking to her for years. That moment though, it was impossible to feel any joy in their reunion.

Anna spent the last day on a plane, after analyzing the disgusting videos sent by the second Kira. She barely managed to kiss L goodbye and they were 5953.64 miles apart.

For weeks, more likely months, she was not going to meet him, not going to touch him, not going to see his face.

If they survived.

She felt broken and beaten.

But she was going to fight all out.

She came back home solely because, in the worst case scenario, no one would have taken care of Candy.

"ANNA!"

The woman screamed and hugged her in tears.

"Oh god! I have prayed all this time to see you again! I'm so happy to see you dear!"

"Have you prayed for my misfortune?"

"You know what I mean! It's going to be all right, Kira won't do_"

Her mother stopped talking midway, realizing that what Anna was holding in her arms was not a computer nor a bakery cake.

"We named her Candy"

"OH MY GOD! Oh my god! Is she...is...CAN I HOLD HER?!"

"Please. I'm going back to the taxi cab and grab my luggage"

The taxi driver took his time to pass her the bags, and she silently thanked him for that. She needed a moment. That was not what she wanted. Where was L? Where was Watari? Where was her happy ending? She needed alcohol. Where was the god dammed bottle of Chianti she dreamed for, the moment they met again?! She had to breath hard to get through the countless delusion.

"Come in Anna, by chance I just baked a cake!"

"Do you have wine? Beer. Bourbon. Weed. Anything to knock me out"

"I...weed?!"

"I was joking , mom"

"Oh...I have wine, yeah. And tequila!", she giggled like she just suggested to do something really bitchy.

"Wine is good, thanks"

They moved inside and Anna sat on the old brown leather sofa that was in the living room since before her birth. The same smell she remembered from her childhood was still lingering in that local. Apple pie and clean laundry. She let escape a tear, wondering if she would remember so clearly L's scent as well, if they never met again.

Her mother clearly noticed the little drop that fell on the floor, because she put the wine on the table in front of her without any giggly comment.

"Would you tell your mother what happened?", the woman asked kindly, "Is everything ok with L?"

"Ye-yeah..."

Anna sipped some wine but could not hold the sobbing any further. She behaved in Japan. She behaved in the plane. She behaved in the taxi. Now she was at home. Deep down her subconscious considered that a good place to briefly let herself go.

"I HATE KIRA! IF HE ONLY DARES TO DO LIFT A FINGER ON L I AM GOING TO KILL HIM! I WILL CUT HIS THROAT OPEN! I WILL..."

It was useless. No way to restrain her feelings. She didn't have a mother for so long that all she wanted that moment was to have her patting her shoulder while she was blabbing nonsense. Even if she slaughtered Light, given that he was Kira, what about the second Kira?!

"Ssh-ssh-sssh...be quiet..."

Was she really ssh-ssh-ing her?! Anna furiously looked at her mother and noticed that she was talking to someone else. The barks woke up Candy, in verge of tears.

That baby was totally amazing. She nearly never cried. She was whining a little only when she was hungry or startled for some reason. Anna felt guilty for having scared her.

"Sorry babe...mom is just a little angry"

She took Candy back in her arms and that had a sort of narcotic effect. She could drain away all the pain. The tiny smiles of her daughter remembered her that there was always something good in life. Maybe right in front of her, maybe on the other side of the world, but she mustn't forget it.

"I saw that video in streaming yesterday. He's going to refuse isn't he?"

"On the spot. L would never cooperate with a criminal like Kira".

"Strange statement, being him married to a criminal..."

"Not so strange, since Kira wants my head"

"What made you come back home so suddenly?"

"Kira does not need a name anymore. I can't allow myself to gravitate around L and risk that Kira discovers something"

"Before discovering something about you, Kira should find L. That's not...that's not happened yet, right?"

"We have a suspect. But the truth is that it was better for L to meet him, rather than staying hidden"

"Oh dear..."

Anna looked at her mother while she was making two plus two. Kira knew L's face. One wrong step, one unfortunate moment, and he was dead.

"Can't you just kill that bastard?!"

"What?!"

"I'm serious here. Some states give the death penalty even to drug dealers. L is not the first newbie passing by. He can have the secret services of half world doing it if he just snaps his fingers. Make use of the power you got guys!"

"It's not that easy! He needs evidences! Holy gosh, and I'm the world hunted criminal here!"

"Fuck evidences, is it better to have your husband dead?"

Anna was absolutely stunned by her mother's words. That woman was the same one that scolded her for weeks when she illegally downloaded a movie as a kid. The bigot woman that slapped L when she caught him snogging Anna in the basement. Now she was suggesting to shoot a man down, to put it bluntly.

"We...we are not killers..."

"No Anna, but Kira is!" Her mother grabbed her shoulders with teary eyes. "I was wrong! I was always wrong! I was afraid that you would never find happiness because you always aimed for the moon. But you always reached it. I cannot stop you, a dirty government cannot stop you, why let Kira doing that?!"

"Thanks mom...", Anna smiled, "...I am just using safety measures"

"For Candy... Is that what you mean?"

"Yeah".

If it wasn't for that tiny thing she would have been part of the investigation squad. She would have stayed in Japan till the end. If she were to die she would have died with L.

"What is your plan now?"

"I don't need to be in Tokyo to do what I can do best. But I need to know that Candy is safe and sound. She...deserves a backup plan, do you understand?"

"I'll always be here, you know that"

"I am going to get my hands dirty on your computer then".


	18. Maria salvador

\- Anna PoV -

L finally called her to make sure that everything was all right. He convinced Light to join the squad and demanded him to make a video where he claimed to be Kira, and asked the copycat to desist from slaughtering innocent people. They somehow convinced the second Kira that a reign of terror was not what his master wished for and eventually L didn't need to appear on tv for his execution.

That was the most favorable outcome Anna could have hoped for. Knowing L safe and sound, even if only in the short term, was reassuring.

In the following days Anna's room transformed in a control center. She already did half the job when she was fifteen, but now she had nearly unlimited funds and she was much more demanding for what concerned it-technology.

Her mother tried to maintain a livable atmosphere in there. She stubbornly suggested to keep the fancy curtains, the fury carpet and the floral print sheets. But Anna nevertheless removed the useless textiles from the walls, the pavement and the bed. The room turned into a sterile white local, filled only by the quiet buzzing of the machines.

She felt much more focused without nostalgic distractions.

The only ornament in the room was a framed picture of her family. Watari took it in hospital, when Candy was born.

It was a funny picture. She, who usually cared about her looks, was a total mess. L on the contrary, was unwillingly combed and dressed up. But they were smiling like idiots, unable to pose like normal parents. That picture was great summary of their crazy lives.

Anna smiled looking at it and prepared herself to get down to business.

She rolled a joint and took a sip of wine. A Primitivo. Her mother had excellent tastes in wine. The only thing they had in common, aside the eyes.

Now that her bitchy mode was turned on, she focused on the computer. She already contaminated the web with an unbelievable number of false data on L and Kira. All she needed was a small sparkle to turn the net into a huge inferno where nothing was barely reliable. That way Kira and his copycat had no chance to find each other, if not in real life. That was her playground.

Now what she needed was to find the second Kira. Before being filled in with all the news on the fake message from Light and the answer from the second Kira, she took a while to admit that L's intuition regarding a copycat was definitely right. He noticed that just profiling the killer's behavior. As he said, the modus operandi was different. In L's head Kira was Light and the second Kira was a girl fond of girly mags. Anna had no idea how he made up that identikit. But when she analyzed the videos she noticed something. It was naïf. The audio was recorded using an external microphone, which imprinted the background noise. And there were other things. They found many traces on the envelopes used to send the vhs. That was very stupid. And that was the disturbing detail. Kira was not stupid. He learned by his mistakes the moment L discovered that he was in Kanto. He was never going to give out details on his identity or his whereabouts again. That was a fake.

Anna closed her eyes and brainstormed to make out a mental picture of the second Kira, fusing her discoveries and L's. A girl. Young. Naive. Idolatrous of Kira. Willing to do anything he asked for. A show off. Emotional. Immoral. Fond of media attention. Loving gossip.

A little diva whore, in short.

Now she knew what to look for.

Anna started harassing the keyboard. She had to figure out Light's social networks.

Unfortunately that little scum didn't heard about Facebook yet. She had to settle for his emails and chats. He had many friends at the university. Many different girls he was friendly with. All of them boring ordinary students. She moved on to his web chronology. He visited many web pages regarding Kira. Online news. Weather broadcasts. University material. He didn't visit a single pornographic web site. He didn't look for pictures or videos of actresses or singers or idols. But...a single model's name appeared in the list. He straightly typed Misa Amane on google and visited every single web page giving detailed information about her life.

Anna studied the model. She was her same age. A dyed blond gothic lolita. Definitely not in the tastes of Light. He used to hang on with much more composed and serious persons. But he was nonetheless interested in her. She was a supporter of Kira. She was the living identikit of the second Kira.

Anyone like that approaching Light, and gaining his attention, had to be what Anna was looking for.

She glimpsed at the digital clock to calculate the JST. It was morning in Tokyo.

She connected to her favorite communication line and waited.

"Yes Watari?"

So damn sexy. It had to be the joint but the sound of L's voice was amazing. Even calling her by Watari's name.

"I have new hints on the second Kira...", she answered with a distorted voice, "...we have a suspect".

There was a moment of silence on L's side. He was pondering what to say. He knew that, best chance, she was tipsy when she was hacking seriously.

"Pass the data on my personal laptop, please"

Keh. He didn't want the others to see, in case she sent some weird stuff. Good move detective, because she was definitely going to celebrate the new findings. She actually wanted to throw up and fall asleep, but preferred to put those necessities on hold. Instead she took her camera and sent him a flying kiss, wondering if her new lingerie was going to be approved.


	19. All the right moves

\- L PoV -

As he predicted Anna was totally high and lit up. He nearly fell from his chair when he saw the pics she sent. Thank goodness he was prepared for something like that. He already fell from the chair once before, and that was enough to make him look like an idiot. On the right side, he was pumped up for what was about to come next. According to Anna's findings, Light was interested in knowing everything about Misa Amane. That meant they met at least once. Where, that was a mystery. But still, L was sure that their relationship, of whatever kind it was, was suspect. They were too different. Light had an opinion of himself too high to hang out with such a naive girl. L looked up and confirmed his reasoning. Light was strolling around with Takada, a class mate famous for her classy looks and brilliant performances in every unit. Definitely something much more suitable for Light. That moment the boy noticed him and released his escort.

"Oh, Yagami...hi", he faked surprise, perfectly knowing to sound false, "...I hope that I didn't interrupt anything". He actually hoped. His family was hiding in Dublin and Kira was having a date? No way.

"Ryuzaki...didn't you say that you were afraid to show your face around?"

"Yes, but I thought that it would be all right if you are not Kira...after all you are the only one outside the HQ knowing that I am L"

He didn't like to play the same trick twice, but there was no other way.

"That's the reason why, if I am going to die in the upcoming days...I ordered the other L and the investigative squad, starting from you father, to consider you Kira".

Bingo. Light's face darkened the very moment he mentioned the second L. That was not a lie. Both Watari and Anna would have never let him escape. If he died, they had enough proofs to put Light in jail. In theory, that was enough to restrain Light from killing him on the spot.

"I found you, Light!"

A giggly voice screamed from behind them.

L froze. There she was. A blonde girl with pigtails gamboled their way. That was definitely Amane. Now came the difficult part. She saw his face. If Light told her that he was L, she would have killed him at the first chance. Maybe not that moment, maybe not in the following days, but soon.

If he didn't doom her before that moment there was no way to stay alive. No way to see his family again.

He thought about Anna. About his baby, Candy. He had to think about something. To prevent Light from telling Misa he was L, and to prevent Misa from telling Light his name. Better said...his surname.

How to not let them talk to each other?

"Yagami...", he started, "...I envy you, you know?"

L smiled. That was easy. All he needed was a alibi.

Funny thing, only few months before he considered immoral even to violate the privacy of his agents...and now...

"I am a fan of yours since the March number of Eighteen!"

"Really?! That's great!"

He purposely said that out aloud. Eventually it turned out to be useful to be informed on the model's life and career. His words attracted some curious students and Misa suddenly was in the middle of a small crowd. He begged forgiveness for he was about to do. To god for the crime. To Anna for the means.

"Ehi! Someone just touched my ass!"

"How rude! Someone must have done that in the confusion! I will catch the culprit!"

L was literally making fun of her.

That moment the model's manager grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the campus.

She yelled something at Light, who remained silent and lost in thought. L knew that the boy was planning to ask Misa his name asap.

"For once that I am here, I guess that I am going to attend the psychology class"

"I'll join you soon. I'm quickly going to the toilet"

His plan was about to be unraveled. He either succeeded or was going to die.

One...

Two...

Three...

The phone rang.

That was fast. Light was really eager to know his name and see him dead uh?

"Hello?"

"Ryuzaki...", Light replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "...why are you the one answering that phone?"

"Oh...someone must have dropped it..."

No answer...?

"Ohi?"

"Fine. Anyway, this mobile belongs to Misa, so you can give it to me"

L returned the phone with an innocent face.

He only wanted to check how important was for Light to have him dead. More important than being arrested it seemed. He had to be careful.

"Ah...it's mine now", L said, answering the phone that started ringing. "Ah...all done already? Yes...yes..."

He could breathe a breath of relief.

"Yagami..."

He turned to face the boy.

"We arrested Amane, with the accusation of being the second Kira".


	20. Wrong side of heaven

\- Watari PoV -

He worked with L for over 10 years and not a single time they had to use such means. L always managed to find enough evidences or, at least, they convinced the criminals to confess through bargaining. But with the second Kira, that was not enough. Even if they had enough evidences to prove her guilty, they still had to figure out how she killed. That was the first time things came down to torture.

She had to talk, no matter what. But when nothing he tried worked, the matter reached an blind end.

He was not for the hard methods but there was no other way. Torturing a girl would have meant the end of things as they were. If L considered the idea to quit before, that event was going to guarantee his end as a detective after the Kira case.

"Watari...", he heard the distorted voice from the computer, "...did she say anything?"

That was it. Watari unwillingly answered.

"No. I am sorry but she didn't reveal a thing". He tried to find a way to put down what was coming next. "Not even complaining about being held up".

"...very well, send the image here"

Watari took a deep breath. He had to make sure that L agreed to proceed.

"Is it a good idea?"

"It will be fine, please proceed..."

He connected the camera to the computer and let L see.

Amane was blinded and held up by a straitjacket.

Watari had no idea how to make her talk. He read about many tortures used by the secret services, but most of them seemed more sadistic then really effective. In the end he simply decided to not give her water. It seemed the fastest way to brake her without losing all his dignity as a man.

For three days the girl didn't say a single word. Watari could not believe how she managed to. In her shoes, he would have singed like a bird in 48 hours. But he was a old scum bag.

It was pretty unpleasant though, when she started saying something.

"Ryuzaki...the girl is speaking".


	21. Hurricane

\- Anna PoV -

It was disgusting. She could not bear to watch. But she had to. That girl wanted her dead. Wanted the man she loved dead. She would have killed them both already if she just had the chance. If she wasn't held captive and immobilized. She was a monster.

What was disturbing though, was that she turned them into monsters as well.

What were they doing?! Torture was not something they would ever EVER consider proper. But there they were. Watari performing it, L coordinating it, and her, the meanest and most coward of all, watching it.

The computer screen showed for three days a silent girl. Anna hoped for her to talk. She wished to ask Watari to be more tough. At the same time, she didn't find the courage to say it.

She should have continued her job in finding evidences but it was necessary to look at that horror show.

Anna gazed at the cookies her mother left her to eat. She unwillingly took few bites. Since the second Kira was arrested, the only thing she wanted to digest was a confession. That girl had to say how she killed all that people. If Anna didn't receive an explanation she would have gone nuts. Every ticking second, every lost minute, every hour without a word spoken just closed her stomach and made her want to puke.

A word. A sign of breaking down. That was all they asked for.

When Watari heard her whispering something she jumped in expectation.

But what Amane said was not what they wanted to hear.

"Kill me"

The girl was not crying. She said it quietly and consciously.

"I cannot take this anymore. Just kill me, do it now"

What was she thinking? SHE was the killer! Normal people do not murder a human being just like that. She was the one capable of taking someone's life. If they could kill her she would have been already dead!

"Amane, can you hear me?"

Anna tried to catch the variations in L's voice. He was...she couldn't say. Maybe he felt just like she did. Angry.

"I beg you...please kill me"

"Are you confessing your identity as the second Kira because we found a lot of evidences against you?"

"No... I don't know anything about the second Kira"

That was a lie! She really hoped to die to take her secret in the grave? Even if they could kill her, they would never let her do that.

"I can't take it anymore... death is a relief for me...COME! KILL ME NOW! KILL ME INSTANTLY!"

Anna was about to grab the microphone. She wished to answer back. To tell her to forget about it. Because they needed her to stop Kira. To survive.

"OK DO IT! IF YOU DON'T I..."

"OH NO. WATARI DO NOT LET HER BITE HER TONGUE!"

Thankfully L said that before she did. She would have given out that Watari was not the only person outside the HQ supporting L.

She observed the girl being restrained from committing suicide and felt sick. That was ridiculous. They caught the second Kira but that was useless. It was an unending torture for them as well.

Amane passed out, and when she regained consciousness things got even worse. If before she didn't say a word, now she was pulling the stalked diva scene.

She kept calling L a perv and made stupid proposals like being released in exchange of an autograph.

"Before you fell asleep you were screaming 'Kill me. Kill me.' Why are you putting up such a worthless struggle now?", L asked impassive.

"What are you talking about? You were the one knocking me out and bringing me here!"

"Why are you tied up?"

"Uh? Because...I am your idol?", she answered stunned, "but you are the first stalker to do such a thing to me"

"AMANE! STOP JOCKING AROUND! THIS IS SERIOUS!"

Matsuda shouted the words Anna did not. The words she had not the resolve to say. Who cared if they discovered about her? Kira was Light Yagami. The second Kira was Amane. If they just made them talk that was the end of the story. She stayed silent only because of fear.

"Wha...so...so scary! What do you want from me? I don't want this! Please release me..."

Amane continued whining for a while. Something happened. But Anna refused to believe it. That she was not going to talk. That they were back at ground zero.

She ran out of the room and threw up the little food she managed to eat that day and started crying.

She refused to listen anymore. She held on to the sink to not fall to the ground. For some reason she felt like the events experienced last December were repeating. Faster. More painfully.

Last December...as she thought that, a sudden realization crossed her mind.

They had not lost yet. There was still time to make Amane talk. The battle barely began. Why was she so scared? So pitiful to not even bother listening to Amane, while L was doing all the job.

She threw up again.

"MOM COME HERE!", she cried out, "MOM!"

She needed someone. Anyone. Even if that moment she wanted L to be by her side more than anyone else. She couldn't bear to be alone. That was a nightmare. No way she was going all the way through it again.


	22. Luck

\- Aizawa PoV -

Things took a crazy turn. A little after that Amane started talking, Light asked to be locked up, with the fear of subconsciously being Kira. A matter of hours and also Mr. Yagami demanded to be jailed. It was unbelievable to see the chief in prison but, as a father, he could imagine how horrible it would feel to have your son suspect of being Kira.

For the first two weeks they made turns to check if any criminal died. However, all the murders suddenly ceased.

Right when everyone started to believe that Light and Misa were actually guilty things changed once more.

The killings started again and everything was back as before. Aside that L refused to release Light and Misa. Regarding Mr. Yagami, he refused to be freed until his son was out of jail as well.

Aizawa was somewhat convinced about Amane being the second Kira, but with Light was all a different story. Still, he tried to trust L and do things in his way.

That was the idea, but every day was the same painful show. Over a month passed with no result and he was losing his resolve.

He eyed the clock. 10:00 PM. Definitely time to go home. He collected his possessions and greeted the others.

Despite all the motivation he had in catching Kira and avenge Ukita he really needed a break.

For the better if his wife was still awake. She always made scenes claiming that he never was home with her and the kids. Well, she was pretty right.

Gosh. As he stepped out of the elevator to pass through the hall and leave the building, he noticed again that girl.

In the previous two weeks he saw her in every single hotel they have been in. Not difficult to notice, as seeing red hair is not such a common thing in Japan. She always was there, sitting in the hall. At first he thought that was a mere coincidence. But there is a limit to everything.

He decided to ask for her documents. The last thing they needed was a stalker.

"Good evening miss. Can you show me your documents, please?"

He showed the police badge with the false name and waited for her response.

"Good evening Mr. Aizawa. Finally someone noticed my presence".

He jumped and checked the badge. Thankfully he didn't show the real one by mistake. But if that was the case, how she knew his name?! Could it be possible that this girl was...

"Rest assured, I am not Kira. If I was I could have killed you already. I know your name because you work with someone I know"

Damn.

That idiot of Matsuda must have been bragging about being investigating on the Kira case with this chick to impress her. She might have been waiting him for a date after work. And he was worried about being stalked...what an idiot!

"Fine...I'll tell Matsuda that you are waiting. He's going to move his ass for once"

"Matsuda?!", she answered puzzled, "Why should I wait for him?!"

"What...aren't you two dating or something? I thought that..."

"Oh. Weeell...nope. I guess you missed a detail agent".

She raised a finger and he noticed a ring.

"Nice stone you got there...Who the heck are you married to? The damn president?"

"I didn't know he became president. I am Ryuzaki's wife"

What. The. Fuck. That girl could not be Ryuzaki's wife... he could not imagine that guy being married. Not to this bombshell at least. Anyway, where did she grasp the name Ryuzaki from?

"Are you messing with me?!"

"Why should I?". She smiled. "I want you to help me meeting Ryuzaki"

"Are...you definitely ARE messing with me! If you two are married why the hell should I help you meeting each other?! Just go where he is and knock at the door!"

"Mph. You remember that we are talking about L, right?", she whispered.

"So what?"

She smirked evilly. "Just beware that if you don't help me I am going to stalk you forever. And if you're fine with that, I'll do the same with Matsuda within a week. And after that I'll move on to Mogi".

Aizawa was astonished.

"Sure...Why not Soichiro too?"

"I already met him. Unfortunately I cannot ask for his help since he's in jail"

"Are you really threating to stalk a bunch of cops, brat?"

"Are you really going to report that you're stalked by a girl half your size while you are supposed to catch Kira, bear man?"

"Listen. I know Ryuzaki's nuts, but this is unbelievable. I have no idea how you came to know about certain stuff, but I cannot believe that you are his wife"

"Ryuzaki doesn't know a thing about this...geez... I knew I should have talked with Matsuda!"

The girl rolled her eyes contoured with heavy makeup and started raiding the pockets of her leather jacket.

"There! Are you happy now?!", she said passing him a picture.

Aizawa studied the image. It showed the girl grinning with a clean face, a messy high-bun and a plain t-shirt. Next to her was sitting a nearly unrecognizable L, laughing with his arms around her shoulders. They actually appeared to be a happy couple.

But the disturbing detail in the overall scene was another.

Aizawa tried to figure out when the picture was taken. He remembered that Ryuzaki cut his hair a little before spring, even if he never actually showed up at work combed. It was around March back then. Only three months passed.

He looked again at the photograph. This time he focused on the last person in there. The unexpected part.

In the arms of the girl was a newborn baby in a candy pink blanket.

"Who is the baby?"

"She is our daughter of course..."

"You guys have a daughter and you are telling me that you cannot meet him?!"

"That's because of the second Kira, Ryuzaki tends to be a bit drastic at times".

Aizawa had to take in that the girl really had to be L's wife. For how unbelievable it was. But if that was the case, Ryuzaki was nuts both in work and in private life.

"I noticed. But how am I supposed to convince him if you couldn't?!"

"I didn't even try to. And you won't either. He will meet me and he's just going to take it. I have planned everything already"

"Damn you are nuts too"

"I am not nuts and neither is Ryuzaki, stop saying that bear man!"

"Don't call me bear man!"

"And you don't call people nuts!"

"Fine, fine. Break already...", he sighed, "...I have no idea how you are going to do that but fine, just make sure to leave me out of trouble"

"He won't discover that you helped me"

Aizawa looked at the girl. She looked somewhat relieved by his surrendering.

"Have you stalked only me?"

"I took a bet and hoped to get lucky. I made a good choice with Soichiro after all"

"How lucky I am. Listen, avoid doing this again ok? Mogi might be ok, but Matsuda is quite into gossip, if you want to read between the lines".

"That's good to know".

"Tell me one thing... You have been sitting in hotel halls all day waiting for someone from the HQ to drop by?"

"Of course not! I have checked through the cam when you were leaving"

"Did Ryuzaki let you spy on us?!"

"Sometimes I help out using Watari's name", she smirked. "I am not good only at heating chairs, to let you know"

"Great...Is there is a whole L team working under Watari's name perhaps?"

"Nope, Watari is just Watari. It is just this circumstance that doesn't permit me to use my personal alias"

"Am I going to keep calling you Watari then? Or L's wife? You didn't introduced yourself. To let you know, uh...".

"You are a funny man Aizawa", she laughed.

He could not help himself from joking with her. She was cool. She could pull a smile out of a dead man. It was a strange situation but he took a liking for the red head.

"So?"

"Let's see... Fine. Whatever. Call me Irish Reel. No, just Reel is ok"

"You want to be called like a hacker?!"

"No, I am usually addressed as the hacker"

"You mean that...wow. Ryuzaki's wife is a world hunted criminal... It makes sense to keep you as far away as possible from Kira"

"I'm impressed to see that you're not particularly impressed"

"You stunned me at the Ryuzaki's wife point. Cannot get more awkward, no matter what you say"

"Ahahah! Yeah I know the reaction, but don't dare me!"

"Ok I think I got my daily ration of revelations I'm full"

"Fine then. Let's get down to business before my baby awakes, would we?"


	23. Please don't stop the rain

\- L PoV -

That was the last thing they needed to cheer up. Not only Misa and Light were not giving out a hint on how Kira killed, now this. How did Watari choose this hotel? Ok, after a while the number of decent hotels in a city is supposed to finish, but at least he could find a place where they could eat food meant for human beings.

His diet was not so demanding, he could go on with panda crackers for a week, but the agents were complaining like kids.

"This okonomiyaki smells of rotten eggs! And look! Aizawa! Look! There is something green!", Matsuda whined.

"That's gross. If it makes you feel any better, my sushi is sticky"

"Don't eat it! You might die! If it's gone bad you'll get warms in your belly and they are going to eat your intestines and-"

"Aw! Stop it!"

Aizawa shouted and turned around to face L.

"Is it ok if we look for a place where we can find something edible?"

"Fine. I'd rather not have half HQ being hospitalized for food intoxication. Go buy some food, Mr. Aizawa"

"Emh...L can I go too? I really really want to eat something hot!"

L weighted pros and cons. They were going to leave him alone in keeping and eye on the suspects. But they would eventually shut up and stop complaining afterwards.

"Fine. Just remember to buy something for the following days"

"Thanks Ryuzaki, we'll be fast", answered Aizawa. "Matsuda bring the umbrella!"

L heard the two men leaving the room, Matsuda complimenting the colleague for proposing to have lunch outside.

He moved back to the computer, trying to think about some questions to ask Amane and Yagami while the others were not there pointing out his rude manners.

He was about to ask where the two met, since he still could not figure it out, when someone came back in the suite.

"Forgot something?"

"Would you like some cookies?"

He jumped off the chair. What was going on?

"ANNA?!"

"My mom just baked 'em. They are good. With almonds and white chocolate!", she smiled softly, as to ask him to not get angry.

"What are you doing here?"

L reached Anna at the door and hugged her. Even if he was not ok with her being there it was nonetheless nice to see his wife after a whole month.

"I had to see you face to face. There's something important you need to know"

"Fine, come sit down"

They reached the couch and L took a moment to turn off the computer. If Anna came all the way from Ireland to Japan it definitely was for some important reason. It was unlikely that the two Kiras would say anything relevant that moment, but in case Watari was able to handle the situation.

"I'm going to call the reception, we'll move to another room to not be interrupted. The agents are out just for lunch break"

"It's fine like this L. They are going to stay away for at least three hours, I am sure"

"You are sure? Don't tell me you architected something with them! Why don't you come working to the HQ if you conspire with all the agents anyway?!"

L grabbed a cookie and gave his back at Anna to regain control. She was seriously unpredictable at times. That was one of her best qualities, but also her worst. Just because Amane and Light were in jail it didn't mean that they were safe. Killings were continuing just like before.

"I met only Aizawa, dear. Until now he played his part greatly, don't stress him", she said coming closer.

"I simply messed with the food and asked him to take out Matsuda for lunch to keep him busy for a while. They are going to receive a recorded message from Watari, which means me, in fifteen minutes, asking them to interrogate some friends of Light, and Aizawa's going to play along".

Anna put her hands on his shoulders and leaned her head next to his. It was so damn hard to stay angry having her so close.

"Where is Candy?"

"With my mom. She stays in a residence nearby"

"I am glad to know that there's no more bad blood between you and your mother"

"L...", Anna murmured in his arms, "... I...don't know how to say this..."

"What happened?"

"Promise me to not freak out"

"I am already freaked out. You could have just called and we could have settled a meeting"

"I am not a client you need to settle meetings with!"

"You know what I mean!"

"No! You would have asked me to talk on the phone!"

"Yes! Do you remember why you ran away from Japan, do you?!"

"I don't suffer from amnesia! If I say that I must see you in face it is because it's very important!"

"So would you just tell what's more important than not being found by Kira?!"

"That I am pregnant!"

L froze. He looked in Anna's eyes and realized that she was not jocking. She was really waiting another baby. And he still didn't manage to figure out how to keep her, or himself, alive. How could they have been so stupid?! Didn't they have enough worries with Candy?

"L say something, please"

"Give me a second"

He moved to the couch and sit down, his head abandoned in his hands.

"I couldn't say such a thing on the phone. You agree with me now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. How is it possible though? You took the pill right?"

"Progestogen-only pill, because of breastfeeding. The doctor said sometimes it doesn't work"

"They could have said it before!"

"I'll have to stay in Dublin because of Candy anyway"

"But I won't be there"

"My mom will help us"

"But still I won't be there!"

L felt Anna's arms trying to comfort him. She might was more troubled that him and still, she was playing the comforter part.

"How comes that this time you are so quiet? Aren't you troubled at all?", he asked.

"When I realized it I puked, I cried for my mom to help me, I passed out, I cried again for two more days, and then I bought the tickets for Japan"

Anna was laughing bitterly, "I had my time to digest the event".

"Great, I feel a little less pathetic for my reaction now".

"L we must stop the two Kiras. We need to admit that keeping them in chains is not working well enough"

L stroked Anna's arm and moved her closer.

He wished to reassure her, but he was not in best mood either.

"I honestly don't know what to do anymore. Any normal case would be finished by now. Any normal assassin could not kill like Kira does. Any normal person would be unable to harm others in jail"

"My mother told me to kill them..."

"Your mother really said something like that?!"

"Kira is evil. We cannot stop him the usual way. But... I cannot kill a person! I cannot even if he wants me dead!"

"Anna you won't. We won't. I have already passed the limit torturing Amane. If we cannot beat them like this it means that we must have jailed the wrong persons. Or that there is someone else with Kira's powers, which I am more keen to believe"

"I'll start searching for another culprit then"

"But how is it possible that his abilities are passing on so easily?"

"L..."

"...yes?"

"No matter what happens, I am never going to break down and sooner or later that monster will be stopped".

Anna said that with a peaceful look. She was definitely the only person in the world able to read his thoughts like that. There was no way to know how things would end up. There was no guarantee that they would win. They had to come to terms with that if they wanted to keep on living without losing their minds.

L kissed her forehead and didn't reply.


	24. Bullet with butterfly wings

\- Aizawa PoV -

After that the red head visited L the atmosphere in the HQ got totally depressing.

When he and Matsuda came back to the hotel, L was staring outside the window, lost in his world, and the computer was turned off. He didn't care at all about covering the bad mood or the fact that someone has been in there. He even left a Tupperware full of homemade cookies on the table, that Matsuda attacked without many ceremonies.

Doing that the young agent noticed a red hair on the couch and complained about the cleaning service of the hotel.

Aizawa really wondered how Matsuda managed to become a cop and join the investigation squad. Thankfully for L, it was Mogi's turn to stay at the police station.

In the following days L came back to planet Earth, but just to stare at the computer and repeating again and again the same questions to Light and Misa.

After that another week passed without any progress, Aizawa decided to have a talk with L. Whatever Reel told him he had to shake it off and focus on what he was doing. Which was totally messed up.

"Ryuzaki, why are you keeping Light captive? He should be freed, by doing that the chief will also come out..."

No response. He decided to push it a little more.

"I mean, criminals have been murdered without those two receiving any information. That should tell us enough".

"No. Amane's obsessive love towards Light Yagami is just about all we found out".

Aizawa tried to think about something of relevance in reply. Even if there was not much else to add to the fact that, clearly, Amane's crush was all there was to find out. But if wanted to shake L, he had to pay smart. He was the one saying that he was childish, so why not to aim straight to his pride?

"Ryuzaki...I am sorry, but from what I can see, all you are doing is refusing to admit that your verdict on Light being Kira was wrong".

"...so that is what you think after all", he answered stiff.

Bingo! Better than nothing, at least he was getting pissed off.

"If people can be killed without any publication and information collected, then there wouldn't be a point to kill the Fbi agents. The is no end no matter how much you investigate. Kira does not commit any unnecessary murders, that's something you said yourself".

"...I see... If he's able to kill in this situation, he could have left the FBI agents alone with no worries...", shortened Matsuda.

Oh come on, if Matsuda realized it, even L had to! It was ridiculous to see the best detective in world being so stubborn with his verdict on Light. Everyone is wrong at times!

"Mr. Yagami..."

Aizawa gazed at the detective as, somewhat annoyed, he reached to microphone to speak to the chief. He was either going to put an end to the freak show or ask permission to the chief to continue what he was doing. Considering that the chief was going nuts too, Aizawa really prayed that his speech sorted some effect.

"The is something I need to tell you in person, can you come back to the department right away?"

"..."

"I want you to hear my decision on this case, starting with you, Light's father".

The moment L and the chief were done talking privately, Aizawa concluded that L was never going to give up his fixation on Light, and for some reason he could not grasp, the chief was really going to play along.

Together, they pulled of a scene were the chief was pretending to kill Light and Amane, claiming that they were proven culprits. When obviously, the couple did nothing but shit in their pants, and no one killed anyone, they were all released.

The absurdity was that, no matter the end of the story, L wanted to have Light to participate to the investigation, and to have both him and Misa being under 24/7 surveillance. That, translated in L's language, meant to have Light chained to the detective all day and Misa living in a place full of high-tech surveillance devices.

Aizawa wondered if L and Reel decided to share the load. Most likely, the crazy red head was going to keep an eye on Amane under Watari's name.

At least Light and Misa were not in prison nor under torture, but it was nonetheless ridiculous.

"Do you really need to go this far, Ryuzaki?!", complained Light. Somewhat rightfully, in Aizawa's point of view.

"I am not doing this because I want to".

No he was doing that because he was a stubborn, paranoid, childish nutshell. But Aizawa didn't need to point out the obvious. Mostly because Misa was the one giving L what he deserved.

"Doing this with guys is kinda gross...are you that kinda type, Ryuzaki? And you were always sticking to Light at the university..."

"As I said before, I am not doing this because I want to"

"And Light is Misa's Light...if you are together 24/7 when is Misa going to date him?!"

"On dates it will be the three of us"

"Are you telling me that when I kiss him it's going to be in front of you?"

"I never said that you have to kiss him, right? However, I will be observing..."

"UUUUH?! WHAT'S WITH THAT?! I KNEW IT, YOU ARE A PERVERT!"

"Light, can you please make Misa be quiet"

Unfortunately there was no stop to the level of annoyance that Misa was able to pull off. She continued teasing everyone for a good half of hour, and Aizawa suspected that even Light was having a hard time bearing her flirting.

Eventually Aizawa exploded.

"Will you all just stop it with the talk about homos and dates and kissing and MisaMisa already!"

Why the fuck Misa had to talk in third person anyway?

"This is the investigation on Kira, understand? You need to be more serious about it all!"

What the hell, this was insane.

Aizawa got up and dragged Amane away from L and Light. Fuck the talk about releasing her, he pulled her in a room and locked her up. Damn, she was so irritating that L was not all wrong in keeping her tied up.

After that, they managed to get back to business.

"Ryuzaki can't you do something about the continuous changing of hotels?", Light asked, "I think we should just settle down in one place and continue the investigation"

"Yes I have also been thinking about that for a while now..".

L moved to the computer dragging Light along.

"From the time I decided to meet all of you and do this investigation I started building this...it will be ready in few days"

A fancy building appeared on the screen. More like a skyscraper in truth. L listed the characteristics of the new HQ and it turned out to be even more stunning.

"Where is all this money coming from?"

Mastuda said that innocently, but Aizawa really wished to know what sort of numbers L was used to deal with. Even that damn ring. He had to save up for a whole year to get his wife a simple ring with a regular transparent stone. How much governments were willing to pay this guy for a consulting?!

"...What I mean...is that I want to solve this case no matter what...that's what this means...", L blabbed.

"No...that's no answer...", he tried to point out.

"That's right", interrupted Light, "I also can't forgive this mass murderer, the man who caused my father and me to get through all this, I want to capture him no matter what".

"If you say 'no matter what', then become more intimate with Misa and try to-"

"I can't do that, it goes against my humanity"

"Indeed... What a pity..."

Aizawa could not restrain a chuckle. Sure Light still had to set his mind on L's concept of 'no matter what', if he could not even flirt with a pretty girl. And Misa accused L of being a homo...

"Huh?!"

"Nothing... I'm getting more and more exited. Ryuzaki, Light, Mr. Yagami let's capture Kira no matter what!"

"You forgot to say my name...", noticed Matsuda.

Finally they were back in action. He still needed time to completely figure out how L reasoned, but it seemed that somehow there was a scheme behind his actions this time. He still wished Light to be freed, but it seemed that having him chained was going to make L channel his madness in something productive.


	25. Trouble

\- Aizawa PoV -

Aizawa's hopes were short lived. He couldn't figure out if L was playing a scene back when he said that he was willing to solve the case no matter what, or he was playing a scene in that same moment. Anyway, in a whole month he didn't gave a single hint on what to do to catch the real Kira. They were basically following Watari's and Mr. Yagami's instructions. It felt like L didn't care about it, or was ok with letting someone else handling that matter.

Aizawa was actually fearing that the detective was using the surveillance excuse to focus even more on Light and Misa. In other words L entrusted the researches to Reel.

Aizawa could not figure out if that was good or bad. On one side, Reel seemed more than able to do his job; on the other, passing her the ball, meant that L considered finding a new culprit a secondary issue. And that meant a loss of time.

Aizawa was not the only one noticing the strange behavior of the detective.

"We moved to a HQ that has the equipment but you don't seem to have any kind of motivation Ryuzaki", Light stated.

Aizawa seated and looked at the scene in the monitors. Light and L were in Misa's apartment, eating cake.

"Motivation? I don't have any. I'm actually depressed".

That was obvious. Aizawa was sure that something troublesome was definitely roaming in L's head. And it was less then galvanizing to have his boss not giving a shit to anything but cakes, Light and Misa.

"I kept thinking that you were Kira...it's just a shock if that theory is wrong".

Again with that story. It's true then that smart people grow an exaggerated ego. Was it so hard to surrender, dammit?!

"However, Kira controlled people's actions, if I think that he controlled you and Misa than the ends meet..", L continued, while diving into another piece of cake stolen to Misa, "...but you two are still alive and that's the part that doesn't make sense..."

"Ryuzaki...with that theory wouldn't Misa and I, although controlled, have been Kira?", Light at a certain point interrupted the whining.

"Yes, there'd be no question about that. You are both Kira".

A strange silence fell in the room. The control theory was a new entry in L's repertory.

"The way I see it...Kira's power passes on from person to person. The second Kira's video also said 'share the power'"

"That's an interesting theory...", admitted Light, "...but if Kira was able to do that, then there is no way to catch him".

"Yes...that's why I'm stuck".

Aizawa was weighting L's theory. If Kira's puppets were losing their powers and memories the moment they got caught...there was really no sense in what they were doing. But it was such a unbelievable idea that seemed to be built up just to excuse L's error in judging Light guilty.

"That hasn't been officially decided yet. We still don't know enough about Kira...", Light tried to cheer L up,"...bring out some motivation".

"I can't bring out much. It's not a good idea to try too hard"

"..."

"By trying too hard to chase we put our lives at greater risk...don't you think?"

L leaned to get a cup of coffee.

"To think how many times I was going to die..."

That moment Light got up and punched L straight in the face with all his strength.

Aizawa chuckled looking at the detective flying through the room.

But it seemed that L was not down enough to take it passively. Light ended being kicked so hard that L flied through the room once again, dragged by the handcuffs.

So he was not that depressed?! Was he acting or not?

Fortunately Matsuda stopped the fight with some stupid news regarding Misa's job, which he was managing under cover. He ended up being bad mouthed both by L and Light, but that was for the best.

"May I ask you to get back to work, agents?", a Watari demanded from another computer with the usual distorted voice.

"Ah...sorry", apologized the chief.

"Watari...", Aizawa hesitated, "...shall we get L here?!"

"Yes, call him once that you collect something of relevance, please"

For Aizawa it got easy to understand when was the real Watari speaking and when was Reel. The old man was always polite and usually spoke solely to give updates and directions. He worked quietly on his own and checked twice with L if any decision of relevance had to be taken.

Reel, on the contrary, never asked permission for anything. She was the one running the cabin, and that was amazing for a young girl, but she was a damn bitch at times, and this was the case.

"He could come handy even doing this low profile tasks, since we are making no progress and he's supposed to be the best detective in the world, don't you think?"

"I don't", she retaliated. "Instead of complaining about what L does and doesn't, why don't you try a little harder in accomplishing your little tasks, agent?"

"What?!"

"Have you ever heard about criminal psychology or profiling, Mr. Aizawa?"

"Of course, I am an investigator, as far as I remember. What does that mean, do I have to profile a suspect?"

"Unlikely. That's L job. I sincerely doubt that the mind of a cop is usually trained to get in a potential Kira's head! But stop me if you ever worked in the black ops or you interrogated prisoners in Camp Delta or your family's -BZZZZZ".

The screen suddenly turned black and the communication dropped. L was still discussing with Light, which meant that probably the real Watari intervened to stop Reel before she said something compromising. She wasn't the best in keeping her composure.

"What the hell is going on with Watari?!", gasped Matsuda.

"I guess he is a bit stressed", stated Aizawa.

"He's not", intervened Soichiro. "Let Ryuzaki be, and focus on what is our job guys".

"What are you saying chief?"

"Ryuzaki always stated the he still suspects of Light, Aizawa. If you didn't notice it he's always played a role with my son and Misa. His behavior changes when they are around to test their reactions. That's what Watari meant when he mentioned the criminal psychology".

"Chief...we know what Ryuzaki is doing...", Matsuda said shyly,"...what I meant is that Watari seems to have a double personality at times".

They turned to face the young agent. He really noticed that?! Aizawa was having a hard time in following L's moves, but Matsuda naturally took note both of L's experiments and Watari's double identity?! Did anyone ever made him notice that it was not a given ability?!

"I...I don't mean to say that he's crazy! But at the beginning that old man was always so calm and gentle. Lately instead...he scolds us quite frequently...and occasionally he gets moody...", Matsuda tried to explain, his face turning red seeing the stunned expressions of Aizawa and chief Yagami, "...sometimes it feels like talking to an entirely different guy".

No response.

"C-could it be that there really is a second L?", he tried again.

"I think that...no...well we all get stressed...even Watari...", blabbed the chief.

"That was Ryuzaki's wife talking".

Aizawa just said that.

Plain and simple.

Matsuda realized that something was wrong with Watari, anyway. Reel was the first one not giving a shit in revealing her identity when necessary. It was for the better to let Matsuda know.

"WHAT?!", the young agent said in surprise. "Don't make fun of me Aizawa! I was serious! Why do you always have to take everything I say like it's bullshit?!"

"I was serious too. Rocking body, red hair, blue eyes...although, more nuts then her husband".

"AIZAWA!"

He turned to face the chief who was turning red. Most likely not because he was embarrassed about something...

"I'm sorry chief, I thought that Matsuda had to know why Watari changes personality like Janus. We just have to avoid saying this to Light and Misa, right?"

"That's not right! Why do you think she was hiding her identity?!"

"Because she's a world hunted hacker and she has to take care of a baby girl. I know it, I just trust in Matsuda's ability to keep his mouth shut"

"What...wait wait is she real chief?! A criminal? I wanna see her too!"

Matsuda was jumping like a kid who discovered a new toy.

"Matsuda, please never say to Ryuzaki or anyone else that you know about this. If we are lucky this conversation remained between this walls".

"...Fine. But, if she really is hot as Aizawa says, that's a shame"

The chief sighed and then turned to face him.

"And Aizawa...this is not professional at all. Ryuzaki never put your family in danger, so please avoid talking about his next time"

"He put you and your son in jail, chief. I think this is just fair", he tried to defend his position.

"We asked him to do that. And my son is an adult. Ryuzaki's kid is less than five months old. You cannot possibly consider this fair"

The chief was right. Maybe Kira was not interested in their families, but with Reel and the little brat was another pair of sleeves. If L discovered what happened, he was sure to be kicked out of the HQ.

"I'm sorry...I'll think twice before talking next time-".

"BZZZZZ...Sorry for the confusion, sirs. The network connection failed. Please, let's avoid any further discussion and go back to work"

Aizawa looked at the chief in panic.

Watari's intervention occurred with a perfect timing.

Too perfect.

He was either really lucky or in real big trouble.


	26. Money

\- L PoV -

It was damn hard to let Light investigate on the third Kira and watch. He couldn't wait for the boy to wake up and notice that the killings recently showed economic outcomes. He was a newbie, and he asked Anna to not give him any hint, but still...he took too long to notice what the Yotsuba was doing. Light's mind was not set on profit. He grew up in wealthy family and never had to bother about money. That made him focus on other things. And that was a clear difference in killing style, compared to the new Kira.

The absurd thing was that Light realized that the Yotsuba company was suspicious in pair with Matsuda. It was hard to state if either Matsuda had potential or Light was caged by his moral barriers.

"Good morning, chief! Oh Mogi's here as well...", Matsuda giggled, "...listen up we have great news! Light and I managed to narrow down the suspects to a possible connection between Kira and the Yotsuba company!"

"The Yotsuba?!"

"Y-yes..."

"Good job", answered the chief getting serious, "I just discovered that Kira paid a bribe to certain politicians"

"That's some incredible news. It matches perfectly to our findings! That's why you looked so serious chief!"

That was not great news. This agents still had to learn that was not good nor evil moving the world. It was people with money who moved the world towards good or evil. And buying a politician usually never brought any good.

"Shall I believe that our proposal of hiring volunteers from all Japan to help in the investigation was approved by director Kitamura?"

"All the contrary...the police bowed to Kira"

That was the most obvious outcome, but chief Yagami said that with a grave voice.

It was going to get complicated without the support of the police. And there was another problem. All the people working in the HQ, aside Light and himself were cops. If they wanted to keep on the investigation they had to resign from their job.

Chief Yagami and the others were discussing over it, but L was stunned to notice that the only one realizing that leaving the force meant being unemployed was Aizawa.

"Ryuzaki...can I go back to the police and help you in my free time?"

"No. If you go back to the police, you will never be allowed to come back to the HQ. We have to consider the police force an enemy"

"Oh come on! What difference does it make?! Don't you think that I'm going to spill off all your secrets right?", Aizawa complained covered in sweat, "...and it would be good to have some of us on the other side, spying what the police is doing..."

Damn it felt like firing his favorite employee. Aizawa was a good man but it was impossible to have him playing the spy part.

"You can go back to the police and investigate on your own on the case, if you want. You can also inform us if anything relevant comes out. But you won't receive any more information from the HQ".

"All right, I understand. The findings of this HQ must not leak out. Sorry for being insistent".

That was right but still, he had nothing against Aizawa. At least he wished him to realize that.

"In my opinion there's nothing wrong in a cop risking his life to catch Kira...", he tried, "... but it makes no sense to quit your job and put your family in trouble. One thing is to die in duty, another is die in vain and unemployed".

"That's unfair! I want to catch Kira too! I gave it all to this case and if I quit now I'll have Ukita's death forever on my conscience!"

L didn't know what to say. It was ridiculous indeed, but for Aizawa leaving the police meant losing the protection of the institution, losing its support if anything bad happened and most of all it meant working illegally. Anyone continuing to investigate on the Kira case was going to be considered a criminal and thus risked much more than before. He could understand that was hard to leave the HQ, but he refused to convince a guy with a family to stay.

"Ryuzaki..."

Watari jumped in the discussion. That was not like the old man. Anna obviously had to speak her mind.

"Yes?", he replied praying that she was not feeling high, down, angry or annoyed.

"At the beginning of the investigation you made me promise that, in case something bad happened to the agents, like indeed losing their jobs, I would have financed them and their families so that they would not bother about money for the rest of their lives. Why didn't you say that?"

What?! When did he say that? Of course he could help them, but that was not point! He didn't want Aizawa to become a criminal and that was about it. She was supposed to figure that out, of all things... What was she scheming? Why she had to pull off a scene in that moment?

"Do not mention unnecessary things , Watari"

"Oh...I beg your pardon. I just couldn't listen and keep myself quiet..."

"Ryuzaki...", Aizawa addressed him stiffly.

He was in deep shit.

"Yes?"

"Were you testing me to see if I was going to leave the force or stay with this team?"

"N-no Aizawa you know, Ryuzaki does not like to say such things by himself..."

"Y-yes...he's pretty stubborn you know that..."

Damn. Now even Matsuda and Yagami were trying to convince Aizawa to stay. He could not convince him to stay saying 'hey you know, I'm married to a criminal! Listen it's a pain to be one if you have a family so just go back to the police and avoid rising the risk of leaving your kids orphans of father ok?!'. He had to play the part of the bastard. Again. But he was used the play the part of human scum, after all.

"No. I was testing him. To see which option he would choose".

Silence. Come on, take the bait Aizawa...

"Fine! I'm going back to the police!"

Good boy. Thanks.

"Aizawa no!"

"I'm not like the rest of you Matsuda, I could not decide on the spot!"

"Don't be so obstinate!"

"No, I made up my mind. I've just realized clearly that I detest Ryuzaki, his policy, the way he his and everything!"

He definitely did a good job, then. Being hated appeared to easier than expected. Maybe he was a natural. But anyhow it felt unpleasant. He was definitely going to have a little talk with Anna afterwards, for putting him in this situation.

"It's normal to feel that way, Aizawa...", he stressed,

"...I, myself, have always liked the way Aizawa is by the way".

"T-that's what I loathe about him the most! To say such a thing with such a straight face! That's it, I'm leaving!"

What was wrong with his face now?! Whatever, what he wanted was to Aizawa to leave and he accomplished that.

"Thank you for all your help".

He heard the cop slamming the door.

It was an ugly sensation but he had to take it.

If he was looking for approval he would have worn Deneuve's clothes, combed his hair and smiled guaranteeing to support his family after his death. Not something going to happen in this life.


	27. Bitch

\- Anna PoV -

October was nice in Japan. The trees were colored in all shades of red and the air was not as chilly as in Ireland or in England. L didn't know that she came back to Tokyo, but she wanted to be there for his birthday even if she had no idea how to separate L from Light. But she had the whole month to figure it out.

Plus, she caused him a quite unpleasant episode with Aizawa and it was better to make things clear with that guy.

She and Watari never said to L that they heard Aizawa spilling out their secret nonchalantly, or better said, meanly and cowardly to Matsuda. That was why L played the part of the bad guy, instead of kicking him out of the HQ.

Aizawa deserved to receive a little lesson, but she was not satisfied with that. She wanted him to be the one feeling guilty since, in the end, she was the one trying to fix things up. She didn't sleep on the airplane either and now the jet-leg was killing her. She definitely earned his apologies.

"Hola, Mr. Aizawa. Going back home?"

She smiled popping out from behind a tree to scare the man, who was crossing the park to go back to his lovely family.

"W-what?", he jumped at her sight.

She knew that was bitchy, but whatever. Try yelling at a pregnant girl if you have the guts for it, bear man.

"What? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Get out of the way, hacker", he replied sulky, avoiding to meet her gaze.

"Awww...I am not Medusa. You won't turn you into stone even if you look at me"

"What do you want?"

"I want to tell you the truth. There was never a promise on Watari's side to support your families in case you were to leave the force", she confessed.

"Tell your husband that definitely is not the way to bring me back"

"Ryuzaki doesn't want you back. He actually hoped for you to go back to the police"

"Better like that!"

"I made up the promise story to make you sulk. Ryuzaki never tested you, idiot"

"Why are you telling me this now?!"

"Because it is inconvenient to have an ex-agent holding griefs".

"You are licking my ass because you are scared that I'm going to tell Kira about you?"

"I know you won't. But you really pissed me off when you told Matsuda about me and my baby girl. I trusted you and you behaved like a shit".

"I...I didn't mean to..."

"But you did and I gave you a payback. You deserved the way Ryuzaki treated you, even if he yelled at me for being twisted around my little finger to do that"

"...I can't see Ryuzaki yelling..."

Aizawa was right...L barely complained for a couple of minutes, but Anna considered unnecessary to highlight the degree of non-punishment received... The point was to make Aizawa being the one feeling sorry and to make peace.

"Well, I covered for you! He doesn't know that you betrayed me. Did it ever occur to you that he was trying to convince you to not end up like us?!"

"What does it mean?"

"If you were to leave the force you'd have been treated like a criminal of the worst kind. Basically, you would be treated like me"

"I am not a criminal!"

"Neither I consider myself so. But still, here I am..."

"And what do you want?"

"I want you to be my spy"

"..."

Anna studied Aizawa as he was pondering the offer. He was prideful. That was not going to be easy.

"I'm not going back to the HQ"

"I'll be the one passing information to you. Can I trust you?"

"What if the point is that I refuse to cooperate?"

"I'm offering you a win-win. You keep your job. You help catching Kira. You-"

"You are so childish you know that?!"

"WHAT?!"

"You want me to feel guilty and, on top of it, you want me to feel in debt, am I right?"

Damn. She was busted. Yes she wanted to win the diatribe. And she could not use the teenager excuse for being childish anymore. She just liked to win. Being an adult sucks.

"You were the one playing dirty first"

"Ok I talked too much, but you were instigating me!"

"Don't sell it like yours was a proportioned reaction!"

"Well, your counter reaction was even less proportioned! Having Matsuda knowing about you is not comparable to making me lose my place in the squad!"

"It's the escalation principle! And by the way I... I am just right!"

"You are nuts and childish. Admit that and I will not escalate further"

"Forget it"

"I'm going to meet Mogi and tell him everything"

"Ahaha, really? I'm going to tell Ryuzaki that you are a traitor, then"

"Perfect, Reel. It means that I'm going to publish your identikit!"

"We...we are joking aren't we?!"

"No... I am going straight back to the police station and get rid of you little nuisance!"

"You can't do that! Do you remember who's my husband right?!"

"Fine, I'll publish his identikit as well"

Anna felt her heart stop at the mere idea of such a thing happening.

She looked at Aizawa and frowned.

He couldn't have possibly said such a thing.

She just wanted to make peace.

They were...friends?

He couldn't want her and L dead...

"H-hey...I was joking! HEY!"

Too late.

The damn jet-leg and the nights spent wide awake were presenting the check.

She saw Aizawa's face getting blurred and felt her knees hitting something hard.

After that, everything turned dark.

"Wake up!"

Someone was speaking loudly.

"Dammit! Wake up, don't make me call an ambulance!"

Anna opened her eyes and saw Aizawa's face contoured by red and yellow leaves.

"What the heck..."

"You passed out! Stupid, you nearly made me shit in my pants!"

She looked around and realized that the man lied her on a park bench and now was staring at her like he was really about to shit in his pants.

"Are you ok?!"

Anna slapped him as hard as she could.

"OUCH! I WAS JOCKING! I'M SORRY!"

"Fuck you!"

"I thought that you would get that was a joke! I said I'm sorry!"

"AND I SAID FUCK YOU!"

Anna felt something hot dripping down her shins and started crying noticing that her knees were skinned and bloody.

"AAAH! FUCK YOU AGAIN!", she screamed hitting him again.

"OUCH! Stop it!"

"I'm bleeding! I skinned my knees like a kindergarten brat...I look like a retarded!"

"It's just a scratch!"

"Thank god you freaky idiot! If something happened to my baby I would have killed you!"

"I am sorry! Quit shouting!"

Few passers were staring at their little show.

Anna glared at them and tried to get up.

The moment she stood straight she got dizzy and threw up.

"Eeeew...Sit down, would you?"

"Fuck you..."

"Yes yes I know that. Do you want me to call a doctor?"

"No"

"I'm calling Watari then"

"Don't dare!"

"Do you plan to stay here in the park?!"

"...".

Anna sobbed and considered the idea.

"Well?"

"..n-no..."

"Fine, tell me where you stay, I'll get you there"

"No"

"Holy cow, I'm not going to give out your location! I'm not going to kill you ok?!"

"No! I won't let you or anyone in Japan know where Candy is!"

"...Candy?"

Aizawa was staring at her and she realized that she just said something stupid. VERY stupid.

"OH SHIT!"

"Ahahah! That's a fucking brilliant name for Ryuzaki's daughter!", Aizawa laughed.

"I'm an idiot!", Anna cried with her head buried in her hands.

"Come on it's ok. I'll stay here until you feel better, is that a good compromise?"

"Why?"

"Because you are a friend and I cannot leave alone a girl in this condition"

"So...we make peace?"

"That's why you stalked me?...again?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Just admit you are nuts!", he chuckled.

"Maybe a little bit, bear man... Now say we make peace"

"Peace...", he sighed, "... just tell me what can I do to catch Kira still being in the force".


	28. Leave out all the rest

\- L PoV -

After that the squad started investigating on the

Yotsuba things got easier. L felt like proving the company guilty was regular routine. Both for him and the others. Even if the higher ups of the company somehow gained Kira's powers, they were leaving trials. At a certain point they even hired Coil to find L. Like happened in the past, the culprits ended up confessing L himself that they were trying to kill him. It was not a easy hunt, but the squad managed to collect enough evidences. It took less than a month to identify the Yotsuba's Kira as a man named Higuchi.

What L aimed at, anyway, was not only a culprit.

He wanted Kira to confess how he killed.

What Amane missed out to say.

A culprit was useless without gaining such information.

The current Kira, namely Higuchi, was not able to kill without knowing the name like Amane did. Nevertheless, if L made him talk, he could still figure out how to stop the heart attacks.

All he needed to do was to arrest Higuchi the instant he tried to kill. Arresting in flagrante delicto was the only suitable solution for this case.

For the worst or the best Matsuda ended up being caught by the Yotsuba AC while he was trying to spy on them. So now the investigation squad made a move on Higuchi using Matsuda as a decoy, taking advantage of the fact that his name was still unknown to Kira.

For some reason Matsuda, even being a total mess at times, was always eager to be useful and L somehow envied his enthusiasm.

He still was a natural in finding the resolve to never give up, but recently it was impossible to get positive feelings from his job.

"..Is he talking to himself?", Light asked at certain point.

They bugged Higuchi's cars and observed him as he was driving full speed, blabbing nonsense.

The third Kira rushed to the Yotsuba offices to look for Matsuda's fake cv, in the attempt to kill the agent. After that he found what he was looking for, he signed down the false name on a note and quickly left the building.

DAMN IT! WHY HE DOES NOT DIE?!

Higuchi was screaming furiously in his car, listening to radio while Matsuda, as planned, was giving a live interview on the bad experience he had at the Yotsuba.

L tried to figure out which of Higuchi's moves he missed. If he expected Matsuda to be dead, it meant that he already tried to kill him. Higuchi didn't accomplish his goal due to the fake name, and now he knew that... L just lost a chance.

"Ryuzaki what are we going to do? Are we still following his moves? This only means that that he is capable of killing just by knowing a person's name and face and wishing for a death...", Light asked surprised by Higuchi's rage.

L tried to think through it. He still did not determine Kira's method of killing so he couldn't arrest Higuchi, otherwise it could turn out to be impossible to force him a confession, just like happened with Amane.

That moment Higuchi started talking again.

Rem. Time for the deal

What Rem meant? An acronym...a person...some serial killer imagine to be instructed by devils and monsters...but this was no regular serial killer...

L observed a patrol car stopping Higuchi from rallying through Tokyo in his Porsche. Lucky occurrence to have the police helping them, even if by pure chance.

Higuchi, anyway, shook off the cop and ran away.

Few seconds later the traffic agent ran into a lorry and crashed.

L gasped.

"...Not good"

What happened? Higuchi killed the cop. That was sure. BUT HOW?! He tried to kill twice in less than thirty minutes, managing to kill one man and still...L couldn't understand how. He waited ten months for a chance like this and he missed it. Twice.

But that was not possible.

He saw how he killed.

He just couldn't realize which specific action was the lethal one.

Higuchi placed his hand in his bag...did he do something back then?!

No, more importantly, how did he get the name of the cop? The agent didn't show a badge. If he didn't get it then...just by looking at faces?! Like the second Kira?!

He had to do something.

"Everyone! I've decided that is now dangerous to let Higuchi move any longer and although we haven't established his method of killing, we are taking our next step and capture Higuchi...However we are now assuming that Higuchi has the same ability as the second Kira and can kill just by looking at faces. That is our premise".

He instructed Watari to inform the police to stay away from the Porsche, given that they would listen, and made up his mind. He was not going to let things evolve for the worst. This time if they were going to arrest Kira he was going to do that himself. If possible, he was even going to interrogate Higuchi on the spot, as long as his inhibitions were altered.

He dragged Light along and headed for the roof.

"Watari, we are taking the helicopter. I need you to bring the equipment, please", he informed Watari on the phone.

"Are we going to catch up in time? The others are already following Higuchi...", Light wondered.

"This thing doesn't get stuck in traffic jam Light. We are going to be there in no time"

He glanced at the elevator and saw Watari, showing up with a sniper rifle at hand and a bulletproof vest already on.

"Are we ready to leave?"

Watari asked that passing him an automatic gun.

The old man knew that he was more friendly with hand to hand combat rather than with firearms, but the point was another...

"Is there any problem Ryuzaki?"

The old man probably noticed his expression, but there was no time to complain.

What the hell he needed a gun for, shooting from a helicopter?! His aim was quite good but he could take down anyone but Higuchi, shooting from there.

Maybe Watari overestimated his abilities.

"No... Just make sure to cover us Watari", he sighed and got in the helicopter.

After killing the traffic cop Higuchi headed to the Sakura tv, most likely to find Matsuda.

They were going to chase him there, when they received a call.

"Ryuzaki speaking. Did you already catch Higuchi?"

"Sorry Ryuzaki he got out...Higuchi has a gun on him, chief got shot and Higuchi escaped"

"This is not good he got out of Sakura tv!", Light exclaimed.

"..."

L didn't reply. He wondered if the boy heard what Mogi just said. His father was shot and he didn't give a shit. He was totally focused on chasing Higuchi.

He would have freaked out if it was Watari in place of the chief. And he was not even his real father.

"Ryuzaki?"

Watari called him back to reality.

"If that is the case we need to get a move on ourselves. Are we ready to go after him Watari?"

"Yes"

But he could not resist to test how bastard Light was.

"Do you feel capable of shooting, Light? Have it anyway, to protect yourself. It's Kira we are chasing after..."

L offered him the gun that was useless to him. If Light tried to use it against him, Watari would have blown his head off. Thus it was safe enough to test his reaction even with a deadly tool at hand.

"No, that's not permitted in Japan"

"I suppose Mr. Yagami said the same thing"

"Yes"

Fuck your yes! It's in human nature to fight back when your beloved ones get hurt.

Sometimes it was disgusting to get in the head of a criminal...

"Ryuzaki look down!", Watari intimated.

He gazed at the ground and noticed that Higuchi's car was chased by a number of police cars.

"This is strange, we informed the police to not get involved in this..."

That could only be Aizawa's doing. He was the only one out there with the motivation to take their notifications and turn them into hints on what was going on. It was nice of him to still trust L. If Higuchi was not to be proven guilty Aizawa's support was going to be considered like betrayal by the force.

"Watari! The wheels!", he ordered, getting closer to the ground.

A minute later Higuchi's car crashed on the guardrail and stopped. L envied Watari's talent. He was not going to aim like that in a lifetime.

"NOBODY COME NEAR ME!"

Higuchi was unhurt and was threatening to commit suicide with same gun used to shoot Mr. Yagami.

"Idiot", L hissed.

A second later Watari aimed at Higuchi's hand and shoot. The gun flew away leaving Higuchi's hand and fingers unbelievably unhurt.

"Higuchi, raise both of your hands where we can see them and step out of the car!"

Chief Yagami made use of Watari's move to get closer. Looking at his figure it seemed that the bullet thankfully just scratched him.

"Turn around", the chief ordered as the man got out of the car. "Ryuzaki we have secured Higuchi".

"Mogi, give Higuchi a head set as planned", reminded Light to the other agent at ground.

"Higuchi how have you been killing people? As Kira, how do you kill people? Answer!". L asked that directly. Who cared about procedure. He had to know.

"If you refuse to tell us, then we will employ every means he have until you comply", he remarked.

"...it's a notebook".

What did that mean?

"A notebook?"

"Yes... You probably won't believe me but it's a notebook...if you write in it the name of a person whose face you know...that person will die".


	29. Sirens

\- L PoV -

"Ryuzaki?"

L glimpsed at the other side of the room. The computer screen revealed that Watari was calling him. He got up from the couch to reach the microphone.

"Yes?"

"Let's shift"

"Don't worry, I'm fine", he sighed.

"I'm serious Ryuzaki. I haven't seen you sleeping at all lately. Just take a break, would you?"

That man sometimes talked as if he forgot to know him at all. Even if he wanted to, he was never going to fall asleep in a situation like that. Even if he didn't suffer from insomnia.

"...I cannot. Please, desist"

"I won't until you leave that room", Watari chugged.

"Watari, aside the fact that I cannot fall asleep, I'm not going to leave you here alone with_"

"It won't hurt me. And that's the same thing I could say to you"

"It's my job"

"Same here. Do me a favor and spend one hour of your birthday outside this place"

"It's 3:00 AM. Where am I supposed to go?! A pub? To toast to what?!", he snapped.

After three months of nonstop work it was too much to pretend to keep cool. Even L had his limits.

He heard a snort coming from Watari's side.

"Ryuzaki I'm ordering you to get up and have a walk. Right now!"

Damn. For Watari as well, that was the first night in months without having Light around. Despite the bad mood, L wondered how much the old man restrained himself from behaving like a grandpa. He was not the only one having a hard time. He decided to give up, at least to let Watari relax a little.

"Fine! One hour and you are going to feel satisfied and reassured of my mental health. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal. I'll be there in few minutes".

He waited for Watari without enthusiasm.

When he arrived he got up and headed for the door.

"L!"

"What again?"

"There are 10 degrees Celsius outside", stated Watari, throwing him a sweater. The damn Deneuve's red sweater.

"Call me if anything happens...", he said eyeing back at the corner of the room.

"It's going to be alright", Watari tried to assure him.

"Oh. Happy 25th birthday!"

L dismissed the oldster with nod and left. But before leaving the HQ he put on Deneuve's sweater. It was horrible and flashy as usual, but the air was getting chilly.

It was somewhat nice to be outside alone. A vague mirage of freedom.

Maybe Watari didn't have a horrible idea, but it took less than five minutes for the phone to start ringing.

A W was on the screen.

Five minutes of peace and something happened. Typical. The best way to fell even more down.

"I know, I'm coming back...", he sighed without waiting for Watari to say a thing.

"Wait. Turn left at the next corner and then right at the second".

The communication dropped before he could reply. Watari schemed something. L started walking again and sighed. No matter how kind it was of Watari to try to cheer him up, what he wished for was not in Tokyo to be found.

At the designated point he saw a pub. That was ridiculous. He was joking about the toast, he didn't like alcohol either. No way he was going in.

"Move away from the door, I'm chilling!"

L looked at his back and saw a girl with a red leather jacket lulling a baby.

"Hello stranger, look we wear matching clothes", she giggled.

He stared at the giggling red head. What the hell was she doing in Japan again?!

But who cared, he was not in the mood to dismiss a moment with Anna.

He would have never asked her to come there himself, but it was ridiculous to admit how desperate he was to have her and Candy back. Just for one night. Just for one hour was enough.

"Wow! This ain't in your style!", Anna chuckled as he threw his arms around her and Candy, squeezing them.

Maybe it was naive and dangerous to behave like that in the open street but too many things happened in such a short time. It felt just like the right thing to do. He was human too, if he had to die at twenty five years old he pretended at least that from life.

It was not much wasn't it?

"L...what's wrong?"

"It's all right. I'm happy to see you"

"You don't look alright! What happened?"

L was about to let her go when he realized that he didn't want Anna to see him like that. He had to regain some composure before raising his head from behind her shoulder.

"Can...can we stay like this for a moment?", he tried.

"Nope. Quit crying and buy me a hot chocolate"

Anna fixed his face with her sleeve and pushed him inside the pub.

It was a nice place. A simple pub in Irish style, nothing like the stupid glamorous local he visited with Light.

"Two hot chocolates, two cakes, and lots of biscuits please"

L noticed the waitress giving a disapproving look to Anna as she ordered all that stuff without even saying hello.

"I'm sorry, we don't serve biscuits nor cakes at this hour, 'ma'am".

"Fine. Only chocolate".

The waitress leaved and Anna dragged him to a small table on the back, the only one with a corner sofa.

"I'm not very updated on the case. I had few checkups in the last week and Watari could not fill me in. All he said is that you released Light and Misa"

L's attention was lost at the word checkups.

"Were you in hospital?!"

"Nothing's wrong, just routine checkups"

"Routine checkups take one hour maximum, Anna"

"Fine. Was just little sickness, but seriously I feel good now. And so is the little boy. Just tell me what happened with Kira", she assured.

L studied his wife looks and forced himself to believe her.

"Little boy?", he asked with a smile.

"Ups...sorry I was so curious this time! I had to know it..."

"We gotta choose a name", he stated.

He was no more going to dare luck like he did with Candy.

"Sure, dear. But later! Now answer me! What happened with Higuchi, did you catch him? Do we finally know how Kira kills?!"

L noticed the waitress approaching them, and let her serve the chocolates. When she left again, he tried to make long things short.

"Yes. He used a notebook. In brief, all he had to do was to write a name, know the face, and wait 40 seconds. I couldn't believe it either, but when I touched it...it appeared a reaper. Kira's weapon doesn't belong to this planet"

Anna was staring at him. L knew that story would sound absurd to anyone not experiencing it personally. But there was no easier way to tell the truth. Their lives were threatened by a number of notebooks belonging to one or more monsters which, for some reason, were given to humans. Humans using them to slaughter each other.

"A...reaper...?"

"Yes. A death god, if you prefer. 5 feet tall, white and bony. It's called Rem. I'm 70% sure that is a female reaper".

"Oh Jesus...", breathed Anna crossing her heart.

She knew that he could never lie on such a topic.

"Anna..."

"Wait! Why did you release Light and Amane?! Where is the reaper now? What if they have another notebook?"

"The reaper is with Watari at the moment. It sticks to the person holding the death note...", he explained, "...regarding those two...I have no more acceptable excuse to lock them up. I was forced to let them go"

"L...Misa saw your face...if they have another notebook...or a piece of paper..."

"I know that, if that's the case I'm done. But after arresting Higuchi, Light is discharged of all accusations if we got to stick to facts. If he has a reaper on his side, it can kill me any time and Light would get away with that being completely clean"

L stared at the chocolate without appetite. He knew that was the risk the moment he started investigating on Kira, but knowing that with such certainty was not pleasant.

"Are you going to...just...accept this?"

Anna was staring at him with angry eyes.

"We cannot kill Light nor Misa. We already cleared that point"

Anna didn't insist and simply leaned on his shoulder. It was nice to feel her heat again, after all that time. If he was going to drop dead soon at least he was happy that they spent one more night together.

"Can I cuddle my daughter for once that I have the chance to?", he asked looking at Candy.

He didn't see her since Anna left Japan in April. She was even more cute that he remembered.

L settled her in his arms and tried to decide who she resembled the most.

"She sure does not inherited your poor sleeping habits", Anna smiled noticing his face unbent a little.

"It has a nice effect"

"It's like morphine, right?"

"Somehow, I guess...even if I never tried morphine"

That moment they heard a loud noise of slamming glass and loud laughs. Three man just entered in the otherwise empty pub and were toasting.

He could not see their faces from that position, but they sure were trying to get a little high.

"If they awake Candy I swear I'll crash those beer glasses on their empty heads", complained Anna.

That moment one of the three man raised a glass and started talking.

"THIS IS TO LIGHT'S RELEASE! AND TO HIGUCHI'S CAPTURE!"

"YEEH!"

"AND THIS IS TO AIZAWA BEING BACK IN THE TEAM!"

"WOOOO!"

"AND MY TOAST IS TO RYUZAKI BEING WRONG!"

"AHAHAH! SUITS THAT STUPID ANNOYING STUBBORN!"

L froze listening to the men. There was less than 0,001% chance to have Matsuda, Aizawa and Mogi being in the same pub with him, Anna and Candy at four in the morning.

That was not a good situation.

He felt Anna pulling his sleeve.

"Why they had to come here of all places?!"

He had no idea. There was no one else in the pub and if he tried to leave he was sure going to focus their attention on him...

"I GOTTA GO TO THE TOILET! WAIT FOR ME FOR THE SECOND ROUND!"

L rushed to raise the hood of his sweater to cover his face before Matsuda passed right in front of him.

Too late.

With Candy in his arms he hasn't been fast enough.

He avoided to meet his gaze but noticed Matsuda slowing down and x-raying him, Candy, and mostly Anna.

Shit.

"Go away", hissed Anna.

Her voice was low and stiff.

If he was not happy of the circumstance, Anna was definitely even more annoyed. It was not unlikely to really see her throwing a glass at Matsuda if he retaliated.

"Sorry?"

"I said go away!"

"Eh?! What do you want?! I didn't do anything!", complained Matsuda to her attack. "This is not a privé, I can stay here as long as I want!"

"Well, three people in this place gotta move their stupid annoying stubborn asses and leave. And guess what, the doctor suggested me to rest and do not kick idiot's butts!"

"W-what?! What's your problem?! And I just thought that you were cute...but you are crazy bitch!"

With that Anna reached for the chocolate cup and L had to jump to grab her hand in time.

"Stop! What are you doing?!"

"Let go of me!", she yelled.

"Listen to your boyfriend, psycho chick, and shut up! My friend over there is a cop so as you know! He is going to arrest you if you don't apologize asap!"

"YOU BOTH SHUT UP!"

L realized that Matsuda didn't notice him at all, but he was not in the mood to let things turn into a fight. What occurred in Anna's head to react like that?! He closed his eyes and forced himself to spill out what had to be said.

"Matsuda, I'm asking you a favor. I do not see my wife since July, and last time I saw my daughter it was in April. Please convince the others to move to another place"

Matsuda half raised a hand, as if he was in class and had a stupid question that he was too embarrassed to ask.

"Uh?! Ryuzaki?"

He looked at the agent and realized that he was staring at Anna and Candy with his mouth dropped open. Maybe it was due to the alcohol he drank, but that moment Matsuda was definitely having a hard time to think clearly.

"Can you convince the others to leave and give me your word to keep quiet about us, please? I'm honestly begging you"

"Ryuzaki..."

Matsuda took a moment to formulate his question. L waited for him to find the words, not sure what to expect for.

"...Is she your wife?!"

L stared at the agent. What sort of question was that, coming from an investigator?!

"No, I am a pregnant escort he paid to keep him company for tonight, obviously. He has strange tastes, you know. Oh, and the little one is Watari's illegitimate kid".

L gave a bad look at Anna, which was still willing to turn the discussion into a wrestling match.

"You are not helping me here. Can I be the one doing the talk, please?"

"He is the one who should learn to look around before speaking his mind, he called you a stupid annoying stubborn!", Anna complained.

"Did you aground at that point?", L sighed.

"I...am sorry Ryuzaki... I mean I don't think that you are stupid!"

"Well since he didn't deny the annoying stubborn part I suppose he's honest dear. We shall treat him a beer!"

"Ehi wait wait again...you are the moody Watari!"

L noticed that Matsuda was grinning like a guy unraveling the greatest secret on planet Earth.

"Cool he added moody to psycho. He's gained my respect now"

Anna really was not going to forgive the toast to his stupidity. But seriously, he felt like an idiot anyway for not managing to prove Light guilty. There was nothing wrong in what Matsuda said.

"Prove him wrong on one thing and you win this discussion"

"You...you are saying that I'm a psycho! Fuck you!"

"MATSUDA DID YOU FALL INTO THE TOILET HOLE?!"

Aizawa suddenly shouted, startling Candy. They were wasting time for nonsense.

"FINE FINE!", Matsuda rushed to answer. "Anyway, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to_"

But L interrupted him.

"Matsuda..."

"Y-yes?"

"I'm serious asking you to not talk about my family. Please, leave my baby out of the Kira loop"

The agent nodded slowly looking at Candy, who was whining for being awakened.

"Ryuzaki...can I ask you one last question and promise to leave right afterwards?"

"What is it?"

"Even if you released him, do you still think Light is Kira?"

"Yes I do"

"I think that's unusual of you to give in, even if your suspect is clean"

"I never do that indeed. It's just useless to keep him handcuffed, now that I know about the reaper"

"But with Higuchi..."

"Higuchi was just a tool of the real Kira. And he was stupid. Someone intelligent in his place, with a death god on his side, could have killed for years without ever being caught".

"So..."

"MATSUDAAAAA! DO WE NEED TO COME THERE?!"

"Leave", he ordered.

Matsuda gave a last look at Anna, who was sipping at her chocolate staring at the wide nothing, avoiding to meet his gaze.

L heard him complaining about a stomachache and asking the others to help him to get back to his apartment at the HQ.

He couldn't say if the guy was going to reveal the other two what really happened the moment they turned the corner, but that was the last of his worries. The only one who didn't know about Anna and Candy now was Mogi. What he really hoped for was for Light to not find out a thing. Instead of the agents he could have met Kira.

He felt stupid. Few minutes before all he wanted was to spend some time with Anna and Candy. He blamed his idiocy and begged Lady Luck to be more wise than he had been that night. No matter the price she asked for that. He was going to pay it.


	30. Like a stone

\- L PoV -

In the following five days he spent every single hour trying to understand the secrets of the death note. The reaper, even if most of the times obviously faked ignorance, was the only being able to help him. He had no idea how to interrogate a death god, but it seemed that the monster had a personality similar to the one of a human.

"This page of the death note was cut off. Is it possible to kill using just a little piece of paper?"

That was the first thing to know.

"Who knows, I never tried..."

L studied the notebook. The monster was covering for someone.

Apparently there were many rules governing that weapon and, of them all, two made him think that the reaper was playing him.

First, the notebook could not be destroyed. Penalty for it was death. But some pages were teared apart. That meant that someone died in the attempt or that the rule was a lie.

Second, if the owner of the notebook didn't write a name for more than 13 days he died. That rule could completely clear Light of any suspicion. If only it was truth.

Speaking of the devil, L noticed the boy getting in the room.

He was supposed to be spending as much time as he wanted with Misa, which suddenly became the love of his life, but each time she passed by the HQ to greet Light, he spent no more than 5 minutes with her. Definitely the apotheosis of true love.

"Yagami, you are early"

Damn, if Anna was at the computer she was rolling with laughter. He couldn't make a joke, but he sure served it on a platter.

"What?"

"You are finally free, but you hardly ever go out of here...Misa comes to visit you, but you only spend few minutes talking in the entryway...you can freely make love outside you know?"

It was not only Misa. Since Light was released the only night he spent home was the first one. Soichiro forced him to visit his mother and sister to assure them that he was safe and sound.

What pissed L off the most, was that having Light strolling around at the HQ all night and day it was impossible to see Anna, even for a minute. And they still had to decide the name of their son.

"I haven't seen the end of the Kira case yet. I don't feel like I can love while it's like this", replied Light. "Or are you saying that it's a problem if I'm always here?"

"...no..."

Of course it was. What the hell, after six months handcuffed to him, why the hell didn't Light spend a single night with his so called girlfriend?!

Was he keeping an eye on him?

It felt like now the one being under surveillance was no more Light, but L himself.

Maybe Light wanted to be sure that he was not going to try the murderer's notebook.

He actually considered the idea, but it was impossible to do it personally, before proving the rules wrong.

L spent all night interrogating the reaper, which for some reason never complained once about it.

He had to find out the truth about the notebook before Light was going to make his next move.

But that was useless.

The next day, for the first time after Higuchi's death sixteen criminals died by heart attack.

"T-that means that another Kira appeared!", realized Aizawa.

"With this it's become clear that another notebook exists", replied Light. "Is it correct Rem?"

"Probably, since reapers don't just go about targeting criminals and killing them off..."

"From the instant Amane became free"

L couldn't resist stating the obvious. That occurrence was so bold that it was hard to look away.

"Ryuzaki you are being stubborn in your reasoning and you keep trying to bring it over your way of reasoning"

"...Yeah...I'm sorry..."

He knew that after all the failed attempts it was impossible to convince the others again over Misa being the culprit. But Aizawa could have avoided stressing it.

There was no more time to waste. He had to prove the rules wrong, and afterwards order to search in Misa's apartment for the book. If it was there, there was no way the squad could not accept her being the second Kira.

"It doesn't matter which country. Let's negotiate with them. If we get the proper approval there should be no problem...we will have them to use this notebook in an execution".

That was the only way. If he convinced any nation to do that, even if Light killed him, Anna and Watari could eventually arrest Kira.

All the members of the investigative squad were complaining, but he could not give up and say sorry with this matter.

"The one who will write in the notebook shall be someone who as at least 13 days until their execution, and if they are living after 13 days, then they will be absolved of their execution. That is the legal trade that we will make".

That was a fair proposal.

He had to do something and he was sure that some of the rules were fake.

It didn't matter if the squad didn't agree. He could even continue alone, it that was the only way to stop Kira.

He reached the microphone and decided to proceed without any further waste of time.

"Watari. Contact the heads of the states which fit into that situation"

"That's unreasonable! Wait!"

Aizawa rushed to stop him. For some reason it seemed that since he came back to the squad he urged to complain about every single thing he said.

That was not unreasonable. And he was not going to give up.

"What do you plan by doing that right now?"

"It would be a verification of the murderer's notebook of course"

He didn't need to gain his approval. As long as a way out still existed he had to try it.

He was about to ask confirmation to his order, when a sudden crash echoed through the computer. Maybe something was dropped on the other end.

"What's wrong Watari?"

No response.

"Watari?!"

L raised his gaze to the screen, as if the W on the screen could say something.

The communication was on, so it could not possibly be a technical problem.

"WHAT'S WRONG WATARI?!"

L's heart beat rushed. Something was wrong. He couldn't help himself from wondering who received the message. If Watari or Anna, using the name of the old man.

"WATARI?!"

Again, no answer.

No one was saying a word.

Maybe the other men were also wondering if the red haired girl was the one behind that W, or there was the old man.

Anyway, that was L's family.

Whichever the case, his heart was pumping hard in fear.

Only few seconds passed before the W was replaced by a different writing.

All data deletion

L tried to take a breath.

"PEEEEEP"

If something happened to Anna, instead of the notification sound, he would have heard the notes of a Reel.

That sound meant that Watari was just killed by Kira.

"All data deletion? What does that mean?", checked Light.

L tried to not jump at Light and smash his face on the floor. That sound meant that he just managed to kill the man that raised up L.

"I instructed Watari to delete all the information he currently holds if anything unexpected happen to him"

"If...if anything unexpected happen to him?", repeated Aizawa.

"He...he can't be..."

L did not listen to Matsuda. Nor Aizawa. Not anyone making stupid questions.

He just realized it.

The reaper was gone.

"WHERE IS THE REAPER?!"

Misa never saw Watari's face.

Light didn't touch any piece of paper.

And L never mentioned Watari's real name by mistake, he was sure of it.

If that was the case...

"Everyone, the reaper..."

But he could not finish the sentence.

The reaper was the one that killed Watari.

That was going to kill him that moment.

He felt a piercing pain in his chest and everything began blurring away.

He could see Light smiling face mocking him.

He wasn't wrong.

Light was Kira.

He was always right, but...this time it was useless.

The reaper just wrote his and Watari's names on the notebook.

There was nothing he could do about that.

But Anna...Candy...the baby he was never going to meet...was the reaper going to take them too?!

He didn't want to see them anytime soon.

Not on the other side.

He begged for it.

That really was his last wish.

The only one he was desperate to be heard by someone above.

Anyone above.

A death god, a saint.

Anything.


	31. Goodbye my lover

\- Anna PoV -

Anna was staring at the computer screen, unable to believe her eyes.

Watari just deleted all the information in his computer.

That meant that he either was in danger or was about to die.

Few moments later L fell to floor.

She was staring at the screen as if the man she loved was not the same one she was observing dying.

The one that Light was holding in his bloody hands. The hands of an assassin, acting desperate like the man in his arms was his best friend, instead of his enemy.

But that man was indeed L.

Light killed him.

He was dying.

They considered that possibility thousands of times. They were not unaware of that eventuality.

But she always hoped for the best.

Like a stupid.

Like the naive stupid girl she was, she hoped that L was going to be safe.

"L!"

She screamed jumping off the chair.

"MURDERER! LIGHT I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! MONSTER!"

Anna cried it out like she suddenly awoke from hypnosis.

She rushed to reach the microphone and say it directly to the human scum who just murdered the father of her children.

"Anna stop!"

Her mother rushed to grab her arms and tried to immobilize her, despite her desperate struggle to reach the computer.

"HE KILLED L! HE KILLED HIM!"

Through the cam she saw Light pulling a pathetic scene, pretending to be scared to death.

And the others.

They were twisted around his little finger.

"WAKE UP IDIOTS! HE IS LAUGHING! HE'S CELEBRATING!"

She pulled away her mother and ran to the microphone.

She pressed the transmission button and cried her heart out.

"LIGHT IS KIRA! HE ORDERED THE REAPER TO KILL L! GUYS DON'T BELIEVE HIM! HE IS A MONSTER HE IS CELEBRATING MY L'S DEATH! GUYS! I'M REEL PLEASE LISTEN TO ME! GUYS!?"

No one seemed to care about a single word she was saying.

"What...?"

She looked at the microphone and noticed that the transmission was off.

She cried pressing repeatedly the power button, without result.

Suddenly, she realized that her mother unplugged the device just in time to boycott her message.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm not going to let you get killed! Do you realize that the only reason why you are still alive is that Kira and that reaper do not know about your existence?!"

Her mother was right.

But she couldn't bear to watch Light holding L in his arms like that.

"BUT KIRA MUST LET GO OF L! HE'S HOLDING HIS CORPSE LIKE A TROPHY!"

Anna cried crumbling to the floor.

Corpse?

CORPSE?!

Did she really say such a word?

"Please tell me it's a nightmare… please God if you exist tell me that this is just in my head.."

She prayed feeling her mother arms hugging her trying to give her some comfort.

"Anna listen to me you must leave Japan. Right now. We must go straight back to Dublin and protect Candy and the baby that is about to born, do you understand?"

"L! I cannot leave him there..."

"Anna you must think about your children now. You owe this to L right? Save yourself and be there for them!"

Anna though about Candy, though about the baby in her stomach. They didn't had the chance to pick a name yet. The only time they discussed about it was on L's birthday, five days before.

And now L was never going to know the name of his son.

She would have to choose it alone, without ever having the chance to find out if the father of her baby liked the name.

That was unfair.

And they behaved like stupid.

What was the use in always doing the right thing if nothing good ever came in return? They should have killed Light and Misa. What were they hoping for? To have St. Peter writing their names on the V.I.P. List to paradise?

There was no paradise. The was no God. She prayed Him but he never listened to her supplications. What sort of God would look away when the world was falling into chaos?

If she had found the resolve to kill Light and Misa in time...L would still be there.

Now she was alone, crying on her mother's chest, unable to stop replaying in her head the moment L died.

"Reel. Please answer me if you are there"

Anna tried to clear her eyes from tears and gazed back at the computer. An incoming call from Soichiro.

On the other screen she noticed that the only persons left in the control room were Light, Matsuda, Aizawa and Mogi.

Anna felt a vague sense of gratitude towards the chief.

"Shall I answer in your place?", her mother asked.

"No...I'll weight my words", she assured and plugged in the microphone.

"I...I am here..."

"L is...I'm sorry...he is.."

"I..s-saw.."

Yes, she might was able to weight her words toward Light, but she couldn't stop the tears nor the sobs. She was not even trying to.

"I called an ambulance. You can reach me at the hospital if you want"

Anna considered the idea. She could casually drop by... pretending to do another checkup...but there was no way she could pull an act once there...

"Soichiro..."

She forced herself to gather all her courage to give the last directions to the chief. If she forced herself to think clearly she knew what had to be done.

L instructed her on what to do in such eventuality.

"This is...the last time we are going to talk. I'm leaving Japan...today. Can I...can I ask you one last favor? As a ...f-friend?"

Anna listened to the silent man. On the other end of the line she could hear sirens and cars passing by.

Soichiro was probably trying to read between the lines.

"Of course. But...are you going to..."

"Soichiro...Can you...can..."

It was too difficult.

Anna stopped a moment to take a breath, but she eventually had to say it. She had to quit sobbing like a powerless little rat and know her role.

She was the wife of the greatest detective in the world. She was the only one knowing Kira's identity. She was a top hunted criminal. She promised L to fight.

"...Can you take care of my L for me, Soichiro?"

"You mean...the funeral?"

"Yes. P-please, hold his funeral without informing anyone. Anglican rite...if circumstances make it impossible non-religious. And also...keep moving the world's police...as if nothing is changed. Pretend that he is alive. Can you this for me, chief?"

"Are you sure about this?"

"I am"

She couldn't stay to say goodbye to L. She could not let Light know.

It felt like her heart was breaking again and again, but there was no other way. That was the plan L instructed her to follow.

Between the sobs, Anna remembered another thing she had to say.

"I want to be honest with you Soichiro. I always shared the same suspects as L regarding Kira. But...in one in a million chance that L was wrong...you need to continue the investigation"

"Reel, my son would have never-"

"So prove me wrong! Find Kira and promise me that you will make that monster pay for what he has done chief!"

"I promise it. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Anna thought about it for a moment.

"Quillish Wammy... the man you knew as Watari... Same favor I asked for L"

"I understand"

"And, Soichiro...feel free to investigate on Wammy's past if you want. But...regarding L...you don't know anything. Forget about my existence"

"I know that. L asked me the same thing long time ago. But I had to call you. I'm sorry"

"No, thank you for having this conversation. Unfortunately, if we'll ever meet again, I might not be playing in your team. But I won't forget what you're doing for me, Soichiro"

"No problem, Reel. I'm sure one of us will catch Kira"

"...Anna"

"Sorry?"

"My name is Anna"

"Oh...and, if I can, what about L?"

"It's just L"

"No problem ..."

"No. It's really just L. The first name I mean"

"Oh...In his style"

"...yes"

"Goodbye Anna"

"Goodbye Soichiro"

* * *

 _Ps. I didn't write this to kill my fav character so stay tuned because it's not finished here. Thanks for reading!_ ㈴2㈵6


	32. Remember me

APRIL, 2008

\- Anna PoV -

After L's death I followed his wish. I came back to Dublin.

And I stayed there, with my mother and Candy.

I followed the developments of the Kira case and, as predicted, I saw Light taking control of the investigation.

But one unexpected thing made me change my plans. Entirely.

I was supposed to finish what L had begun.

I was the only person alive with all the knowledge needed to continue the investigation.

But I discovered that I had no way to do it.

One day a man named Roger, the successor to Watari in the direction of the orphanage he founded, came to my house.

I knew that the old man trained two boys to succeed L. One was called Nate and the other Mihael. L didn't decide yet which one had to take his place. But the reason why he didn't decide was not his early death. Was their young age. Nate was thirteen and Mihael fifteen. Not an age to take his place, in any circumstance.

After L's death they were supposed to team up with me to arrest Kira.

However, as Roger informed me, things turned out in an unexpected way.

Mihael refused to cooperate with Nate and left the Wammy's house, and Nate, once informed that I, a criminal, was supposed to lead him, refused to work with me.

For some stupid reason I expected a boy, which was raised with the purpose of pursuing justice and never brake moral nor legal laws, to be my ally.

Even if L somehow took a liking for a criminal like me there was no guarantee that his successors would be as open minded.

I felt hurt by Nate's refusal but I guess there's nothing I could do about it. If he didn't want to work with me it's just fine. But I totally refused to help him anyway.

He had to start from nothing.

But I refused to give up with Mihael without even trying.

Few weeks after the birth of my son I began searching for the blondie on the run. I never met him in person, but I knew his name and his face. And his talent.

He was not any ordinary boy to be L's successor.

I took over three and a half years to find him.

I wasted three and half years just to locate one boy.

Time that was completely wasted since Nate had no information to begin with, and the case was completely stuck.

But I learned to wait. My next move toward Kira had to be the winning one.

Plus, if Mihael managed to stay hidden for so long it means that he is pretty smart.

Better than nothing, there are good chances that he is not going to snob my help, unlike that little scum of Nate.

I have a plan. I have the knowledge. I have the means. If needed I even have the looks.

He cannot refuse, I cannot hesitate.

"Mihael!"

I address the blondie walking in front of me.

I know he won't turn, but I am sure to have his attention.

"I am your ally. I knew L. I know things about Kira. In return I want your help to avenge my husband..."

Maybe bargaining is not the best way to start a collaboration, but with this guy I know that's the only way to gain his respect. The only reason why I found him is because I grew suspects on a mediocre mafia group, that suddenly gained a respectful position within the main cartels. Investigating I discovered that this boy was the new boss of the criminal group.

Despite his angel face he doesn't look like a guy keen to use soft ways to get what he needs.

But still...he keeps eating his chocolate bar and doesn't give me a shit.

"I don't work with Nate"

That's it. I made him stop walking.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm a friend. I wanted to pass you all the information I hold on the the Kira case, but you flee before I could to do that. I've been hunting you since you left Wammy's"

Ok, I know that's a lie. I was supposed to pass the information both to him and Nate, but whatever. He doesn't need to know all details. I can make use of his good harvested ego.

"I asked who the fuck are you. Why do you know my and that bastard's names? And why the fuck do you want to help me and you do not work for Nate?"

Christ! I had to gather all my cool and cold to not jump while he said that...

I take a deep breath as I stare at the gun he just took out, aiming at my head.

He doesn't look like he is going to pull the trigger if I act a bit tough...although I am not 100% sure about it. This guy is still a mafia boss. I cannot risk to be shot but I neither can pass as the weakling.

This is gonna be more difficult than expected.

"My name is Anna. I'm L's wife. But I'm mostly known for being Irish Reel. There's not good blood between Nate and my kind. Said that, you oughta point that gun in another direction or I'm going to break your elbow"

I played my kamikaze card. Now it's all about the act. I stare at the blondie right in the eyes, with my best badass smile, faking confidence. Thank God I forced L to teach me how to fight.

"Prove it"

In a quick move I kick Mihael's hand and make him lose the grip on the gun. Then I grab his arm and twist it on the back.

"WAGH! STOP IT BITCH! LET GO OF ME!"

"Oh, sorry Mihael, you wanted me to prove the previous part?"

I pull him away and collect the gun from the ground. I have no idea how I did that but I am fucking awesome.

"Ok ok! Fine I'm all ears! Prove me you are who you say you are and I'll consider your proposal"

"Good. First. Have you ever met L face to face?"

I lower the gun to test his reaction. No attempt to attack me.

"Yes. I met him once or twice"

"Describe him"

"What? Why?"

"Just do that. I'm not going to give you proof that I am his wife if you don't cooperate"

"Fine. Black hair. Black eyes. Pale. Skinny. Quite tall. Weird posture. Obsessed with sweets. Is it enough?"

It looks like he really met L. Which means that now I can easily convince him.

I tuck the gun on the back of my jeans and raid the pocket of my red jacket.

Trying to avoid looking at it, I pass Mihael the picture Watari took four years ago in hospital. I don't want to slip off any emotion now that I'm the one running the game.

Mihael takes the picture. I keep staring at him as he studies the image, longer than expected.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know L had a kid"

Apparently the picture managed to soften the boy a little. Maybe I can stop playing tough as well.

"We had two. A boy and a girl. I assume you trust me now?"

"Wait. What about the Irish Reel part?"

"I have hacked Nate's database. Better said. The servers the Fbi gave him. Give me a computer and I'll give you all the information you want regarding Nate and the Fbi"

"The Fbi?! He has the Fbi on his side and he couldn't do shit for three and a half years?"

"He doesn't know what I know about Kira"

Mihael's good at my staring contest. He hasn't lowered his eyes once since when he finished studying the photograph. But I like his way of staring. It is the same as L's. He not doing it to intimidate me. He already tried that with the gun and failed, anyway. He's studying me. He's trying to read inside of me.

"Tell me one thing. You are selling yourself like you can serve me Kira's identity on a platter. So what do you need me for?"

"I'm not satisfied with just killing Kira. I want to avenge my husband's memory. I want to prove that he was right. Help me incriminate Kira and you can do whatever you want of him afterwards. I don't have the legal formation to do that on my own"

"Deal. Tell me what you know Anna, what do you want to begin with?"

"Easy. Let's play a bit with our beloved Nate and his friends first, would you?"


	33. Because of you

\- Mihael PoV -

In my life I killed, I saved people, I lied, I helped out. I always did what I wanted to do. I always done what pleased me.

This is the reason why I cannot understand why this crazy chick keeps doing what she does for a dead man. For years she knew Kira's identity and she never killed him, even if she wanted to, just to do things the way she believes L would have approved.

"Do you understand? We must play both Near and the Japanese if we want that notebook"

"Fine with that, but I have doubts about the means. You cannot twist the mafia around your little finger like that Reel"

"If I can twist around my little finger Kira I can have a mafia boss giving me a little weapon in present, Mihael"

"What the fuck! I told you to quit calling me like that! MELLO! M-E-L-L-O YOU GOT IT?!"

"Fiiiine. But even when we are alone?! You are paranoid"

"Damn. You are asking something totally crazy you know that?!"

"I don't care. I want them to know who's pulling the strings. They might think that I gave up, and that would be your fault"

Jesus. This girl can have anything she wants, but what she craves for is solely the respect of a bunch of retarded Asians and to prove that her dead husband was right.

"Fine than. Let's sum up. In these months we manipulated a cop to let Nate know about the notebook..."

"NEAR!"

"Holy gosh! Fine! Near!"

"That way we just made the president giving my rival a secret squad. Great. Move to next part"

"We infiltrated his squad. Now we have access to the information he is going to share with the Japanese and to any progress he makes"

"He's behind us, Reel"

"For now. Now that he knows about the notebook things are going to speed up"

"Don't overestimate him. Now, I made my men kidnapping the director of the Japan force. We know that the Japan police has a Death Note. But do you really think that they are going to bargain a old man for the murderer's book?"

"Probably, I must check out how the new L is playing his part"

"You just want to make him look like an idiot, don't you?"

"Yes. That's one of my targets"

"Why don't you just tell me who the fuck is Kira?! You keep telling one thing at time!"

"Don't you want to have some fun trying to figure it out?"

"All I want is Kira's head on a platter. I don't value the means used"

"Why do you want Kira dead that much?"

"It's not only about having him dead, I want to beat Near"

"But why do you want him dead?"

"Because he killed L before he could decide who had to succeed him. Easy. I like to win and Kira screwed up my match"

"Funny thing, all that was Watari's idea. L had no intention at all to train kids in doing his damn job"

"That does not interest me. I wanted to win and Kira killed the arbiter of the game. I am going to give him the proper payback"

"That's why I cannot tell you everything yet. I won't let you murder Kira before I have finished playing my own sick game. I want to kill his ego, I want him to feel beaten and I want to prove everyone that L was right. Afterwards, and only afterwards, you can kill him"

I stare at the red head, somehow admired somehow pissed off.

She seriously is sick. She switches easily from the lovely mother mode, rushing to collect her kids from kindergarten, to the wicked bitch mode, making sure that nothing and nobody gets in her way to psychologically destroy Kira and avenge L.

And that's somehow arousing.

Crazy girls are fun.

Even better if they are hot.

"Why the fuck are you staring at me like that?"

"I was thinking that I could consider the idea of fucking you, if you were not so obsessed over a corpse"

"Sorry I might be a necrophiliac but I ain't a pedophile"

"Screw you I am nineteen! The point here is that you are old meat"

"Ew. That means that you are a gerontophile"

"Which means that's the only occurrence when it's perfectly legit to have sexual intercourse"

I study her laughing face, she thinks that I am joking here...

Maybe being married to someone like L, she rarely had a man who really tried to hit on her. She doesn't realize yet that I am the one that is surely going to give it a try.

I grin at this challenge and walk forward.

I sit on the desk and I stare at her, right in front of me, on the chair.

Why the fuck a girl who's not interested at all in moving on, shall dress like a polished bitch?

I would be satisfied enough with her leather jacket and hot pants, but it's hard to not appreciate what is enhanced by that tight cotton tank top. Someone should tell her that lace lingerie should be banned underneath certain clothes, if you don't like having a man staring at your nipples.

"Say Anna...has nobody touched you for four years?", I joke moving her flaming locks away from her face.

"That's not your business kid. Anyway, I am pretty demanding"

"Interesting..."

She laughs trying to toss my hand away and I gently grab her wrist.

"I guess I took a liking for you Anna. And I don't say this to any girl passing by"

"You...w-what?"

"I might have a crush for you"

"I..."

She is totally stunned and I make use of this moment of confusion on her part to make my move. I lean over to kiss her. So damn good.

I don't understand if she is playing along or she is just shocked but whatever.

I move my hand from her wrist to her left breast and cup it.

Gosh...she must be a fourth…

"OOOOOUCH!"

I yell out holding my bleeding nose.

"You punched me?!"

"You kissed me and palpated me?!"

"OK BUT YOU PUNCHED ME! Holy shit if it hurts..."

"Suits you! Never try to do that again or I am going to help Near instead!"

Damn. She closed the jacket.

"Fine...You're not that fun in the end"

"And you are not as smart as I thought!"

"There's no need to get upset, Ice Queen. I was just giving it a try. And I even informed you in advance"

"Well, never try it again. I closed that chapter on 5 November 2004 and I sincerely doubt that you are going to make me change my mind!"

"At least let me admit that's a waste. Sure L had good taste"

As I say that, I see a message from the rasta guy I sent to kidnap director Kitamura.

"News from the mafia. Gotta leave you Reel"

No answer.

I might have pissed her off a little.

But, holy shit she's hot. She cannot blame me for trying hitting on her.

As I am about to leave I notice the large garter tattoo on her leg. It's a rare thing that she is not wearing tights or long trousers. I never saw it before. I wanna read what she has written there.

010011000010000001001100011000010111011101101100011010010110010101110100

"What the fuck are you staring at?"

"That tattoo"

"It's binary code. Means L Lawliet. Now move your ass and get lost"

"He marked you?! That's fucking perverse! I like it!"

I laugh and leave her alone. I must admit it. L was a damn genius.

It really is a damn shame that Kira killed him.

I would have liked to know how that guy managed to tame a nutshell like Reel.

That's it, I decided.

I'm going to let her have that damn rocket.

I leave my loft and reach the mafia bosses in the basement.

Thankfully her jab didn't brake my nose. It already stopped bleeding as well.

"Did he talk?!"

"Yeah. The Japan police bowed to Kira. The only collaborators of L are Soichiro Yagami, Kanzo Mogi and Toda Matsuda"

Cool. Now that old L is gone, one of the latter three must have the Death Note.

"Of these three, the highest in rank is Soichiro Yagami?"

"That's correct..."

I can't believe that the top dog of a police force couldn't last more than one day before spilling off everything he knows about Kira and the men investigating on the case. A old spineless rat. And this is the man Anna plans to bargain with the murderer's book?!

If the Japanese accept this I promise I won't complain about a thing Anna says ever again.

I sincerely doubt about it, but this is the only trial I have and it must bring me somewhere.

Before Near.

"Listen... The American government knows about the notebook as well, and wants to catch Kira. They are beginning to move and if they find the notebook before us we are fucked"

I am not talking to Takamura anymore. My attention focused back on the mafia, I want them to speed things up.

"I think that one notebook is in possession of the Japan police, and another in Kira's. We are taking both"

"Mello is right...with the first one we could kill at ease...and with the second we won't need to worry about being killed. We must obtain both the notebooks"


	34. Rocket

\- Anna PoV -

I didn't expect Light to soften after all these years, but I didn't expect him to get bolder either.

He killed Kitamura without hesitation.

A little after he was kidnapped Light killed him, making it look like a suicide.

"You knew it!"

Mello has been stressing me for half an hour with this story.

"I say I didn't plan a thing. I have nothing against Kitamura. I didn't expect him to die"

"But you knew that Kira is one of the Japanese! Otherwise he couldn't know that we kidnapped Kitamura"

"Of course I knew. But I didn't expect him to kill without worrying to arise doubts. He was very cautious with these details back when L was alive. He just believes that he has no worthy rival at the moment!"

What a presumptuous bastard. To think that no one out there is smart enough to find him and shot a bullet in his sick head.

If I only could.

"So our plan is screwed?"

"Fuck that. I ordered them to kidnap Sayu Yagami"

I wonder if Mello already figured out Kira's identity.

"Why her?"

"Her father is the highest in grade. Plus, a girl is not going to kill herself and sell it like suicide. If she dies, that's sure that Kira is one of those three at the Japan HQ"

Three. He doesn't even know about Light being the new L then. But he's smart. And the hostage is perfect. If Light still has a piece of soul left in him, he won't murder his sister.

"Great job. But order the gorillas to not harm her. I owe a big favor to Soichiro"

"So you are friends with the Japanese? I thought you wanted to humiliate them"

"Just the new L. And I just want to prove that my L was right. The others are good persons"

"Which means that the new L is Kira...am I right?"

"That's a possibility"

Only Kira would be happy to take L's place. Only someone sure to not end up like my husband.

"You shall have a chat with the gorillas yourself Reel. You need to instruct them on how to obtain your little toy"

"WAAAH! CAN I REALLY USE IT?!"

"If you can put your hands on a damn rocket and not get caught I swear I'll force you to use it"

"No need to force me! You are great Mihael... MELLO! I mean Mello! Thank you!"

If he was not going to misunderstand I could kiss this blond freak right now. It's a real pity that men think only about that. I kinda like him.

Anyway, most of all, more than the notebook, I want them, the Japanese, to know that I am going to make Kira pay for what he has done. And that I am bringing the game to the next level.

"So how are you going to get a rocket?"

"I will hijack one. Even weapons like that must be moved at times. I am going to send a fake transit request and make it disappear on the way"

"You really thought it through. And what about the hijackers?"

"I will erase them from all criminal records, all databases and anything that might lead to us"

"It's going to be fun watching you doing this. May I ask what are you going to use a rocket for? Wanna put Kira on it?!"

"That would be amazing. But I'm just going to use it to keep the notebook safe"

"Smart thinking. Rockets cannot be tracked easily. Near and the American government won't be happy to see their weapon used against them"

"One more reason to steal one"

"Can I ask you something?"

It's not like Mihael to ask permission. If he does he is about to ask something really personal or likely to annoy me. But I don't feel like getting angry with him. He's a bit strange and very proud but he's a good guy. No matter how much he tries to hide it. I think that somehow we are really similar.

"Ask"

"What's the real reason why you help me and not Near?"

I knew this question had to come sooner or later.

I feel like guilty to not tell him the truth. Because I understand that, if things turned out as I planned at the beginning, I would have disliked them. I had my chance to know Nate and he's not my type at all. It would have been impossible for us to work together.

He has nothing of L, aside the brains maybe.

"At the beginning I wanted to help you both. I was instructed to do that to be honest. When you left Wammy's, Roger asked Nate if he wanted my help and he refused because I am a criminal"

"Basically you were turned down"

"Basically he's an idiot. But I'm prideful too, I refused to pass him any information afterwards"

"He's too caught in playing L's role. He thinks to be the incarnation of justice and refuses to accept any deviation from that pattern"

A deviation. Is that what I am? A black spot in the otherwise immaculate curriculum of my husband?

I refuse to let L's heirs think that. He was not that boring.

"You guys didn't know L at all. L is not even supposed to be considered a role. It was a person, that was his name, he was a human being with ups and downs ok?!"

"Chill out, I know that. I was just getting in Near's mind. If L married a criminal I sincerely doubt that Near's idea of L can be taken seriously"

"You know...in the end...he wanted to quit. His job is not easy Mello. The truth is that if you want to do a good job in succeeding him you have to put everything at the stake. You either have nothing you care about or you must be aware that you can lose everything"

I don't know why I am saying this to Mihael. Maybe I don't want him to end up like L. Maybe I want to warn him. He's even more prone to risk his life than L was, and I cannot guarantee for his safety. He's the first friend I have since I lost L. I don't want to lose Mihael too.

"You mean L couldn't take it anymore? So why didn't he just choose a successor?"

"As I said that was not his idea. And I think he didn't want a copycat to finish what he had began. You are just Mihael and Nate is just Nate. Forgive me for saying your real names, but that's the way a man introducing himself to Kira using his first name used to think"

"I agree but I don't like to lose, anyway. I always came in second in every test back at Wammy's. I kinda relied on L's judgement"

"That means you kinda won there. L hated perfect people"

"Bah. I rather restrain myself from calling Near perfect. With all that toys...Someone could think that he's retarded"

"Well, at least Roger didn't do an awful job. Near has got a personality as well"

"I guess so. Pitiful, but still, a personality"

I laugh thinking at the white haired boy playing the part of the detective for the Fbi. I hope Mello catches Kira first. I cannot take a liking for Nate, but I want Mihael to win for once.

"Honestly I don't want to take L's place anymore. I let Near play that part when I left Wammy's years ago. I'm just me and doing things my way"

"You can always beat him in catching Kira..."

"That's a must. But I meant to say that you don't have to advise me on how to do L's job. I don't want you to compare us. I am Mello and that's all I am, I live my way"

"Mihael..."

"What?"

"Nothing it's just that I prefer to call you Mihael!"

We laugh at my stupid obsession for first names.

He's right. In certain ways he's really similar to L, but he never acted like him. He's not interested in taking his place.

"Anna. I promise I am never going to pretend to take his place"

I look at Mihael and I feel puzzled by his expression.

He's really serious.

I try to read between his words and feel my knees shake as his face gets closer.

I try to speak, I try to move out of his way.

But I cannot move.

My head tells me to punch him and break his nose for good.

But everything else do not respond.

"Stop me if you don't want it"

I try to speak again but my words die in my mouth.

He kisses me cautiously, like to test my reaction.

But I am the first one who's got to figure out my own reaction. I don't know what the heck am I doing.

I feel his hand gently stroking my neck. He started from a safe place this time...

Slowly I feel his touch moving downwards. I cannot stop him. I don't understand why but somehow I might even find me to want this.

"Aaaah..."

I shiver feeling his hands stroking my breasts, teasing my nipples. I haven't felt anything like pleasure in ages.

"Are you ok?"

He whispers at my ear, as he slowly undresses me of my jacket.

"WAIT NO!"

I yell at the damn blondie and finally find the resolve to punch him.

What the fuck was I thinking at?! I must visit a damn sexy shop if I am arrived at this point!

"DAMN! I ASKED PERMISSION THIS TIME!"

"And I said to never try to do that again"


	35. We used to be friends

\- Anna PoV -

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"

I scream it out, staring at the scene through the security cameras.

My plan was perfect. We used a damn rocket. We obtained the notebook. Everyone was safe and sound. We were leading the game.

Why blondie let a wicked mafia boss playing with the murderer's book?!

That stupid gorilla used it to kill his rivals left and right and this is the result.

We gave out our position to Kira.

That bastard figured it out and now wants his notebook back.

"MELLO! THEY ARE GOING TO KILL YOU! RUN AWAY!"

I must convince that idiot to leave the book and escape.

"How am I supposed to leave?"

I don't know.

I look at the screen, horrified.

This is the second time that we are attacked.

But the first time that damn reaper annihilated all the rioters before they could cause any harm.

This time he disappeared.

He let the intruders kill or arrest every man in the building trying to stop them.

The only one remaining is Mihael.

"THEY KILLED EVERYONE ASIDE ROY AND SQUIAT! THEY ARE HANDCUFFED AND WE LOST THE DEATH NOTE! YOU MUST HIDE!"

"I HAVE NO DAMN PLACE WHERE I CAN HIDE REEL!"

I must think. There must be a way. They want the notebook. But they also want Mihael. They won't stop until they find him.

"Ok. You must blackmail them. Blow up all exits, you have a separate detonator for those right?"

"I have no other choice. From now on don't say a word Reel. You understand?"

"Fine..."

As Mello blows up the escape routes and starts to threaten the rioters my blood freezes in my veins. The rioters reached the first floor, where Mihael is, and one of them has removed his helmet.

Of all people, the last one I wished to see there is him.

Soichiro is standing in front of the door, holding the notebook.

My old ally.

He is there to kill my only friend. The only person that somehow managed to make me feel alive again.

I rush to unplug the microphone.

I know my bad habit to let my mouth speak before my brain thinks. I cannot afford to yell at Soichiro if anything unexpected happens, like I was about to do when Light killed L. There's not my mum to save my ass now.

I listen to Mello, threatening to blow up the entire building.

I observe Soichiro, entering the room where Mihael is and saying his name.

But I don't really listen to Mello, nor I observe Soichiro.

What my eardrums grasp are Soichiro's words, and what my eyes stare at is the Death Note.

Soichiro called Mihael by name. His real name. Mihael Keehl.

I am 100% sure that there is no way he could have discovered it by any means. And I am as well sure that Nate didn't say it to anyone. He's a dumbass but he doesn't play dirty.

There's only one solution left.

He is able to know people's name just by looking at the face.

Like the second Kira.

"YOU ALLIED TO KIRA! YOU IDIOT SOLD YOUR SOUL TO A MONSTER JUST TO FIND MIHAEL, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND A THING! HE IS NOT THE ENEMY!"

Thank god I unplugged the microphone.

How could he have been so stupid?

I look at Mihael and I notice that he's laughing. He is not scared. He is ready to stand against Yagami.

They keep talking.

Mihael threatening to blow up the building, Soichiro threatening to write the name of the boy on the notebook.

Then I notice something.

José. A mafioso. Is alive. He is on the floor, near Mihael, playing dead.

There's an escape route. An ally ready for a surprise attack. I know Mihael will notice him.

I know what I must do.

This time no one instructed me, but I can see what my next moves are.

I rush to the dresser, take off my thighs and grab a balaclava. I knew it could come handy.

I run downstairs and jump on my car.

Maybe I am not the best pilot in the world, but I can reach Mihael's location in less than three minutes.

It's close by, but I nonetheless let the engine scream.

I can irrupt in the building.

Maybe they won't kill me. If Soichiro is there, the others must be Matsuda, Aizawa, Mogi and Ide. Most of my hair length is not covered by the balaclava and my tattoo is showing as well. Red hair, binary code...two of them might recognize me. They can remember me. Aizawa and Matsuda might stop Ide and Mogi if they try to shoot me.

As I think that, a huge explosion deafens me.

I brake the car and try to figure out what just happened.

The building right behind the corner has blown up.

"MIHAEL! WHY?!"

He was not just threatening! He really turned the house into a mass of ashes.

I press once again on the gas, trying to reach the building and I nearly run over a some idiot swaying in the middle of the street.

"YOU IDIOT! OUT OF MY WAY!"

As I say it the figure crumbles on the ground and I can see that he must be hurt. Maybe he was someone passing by as the explosion took place.

I unwillingly get off the car, at least to remove that miserable from the street.

"Jeez, you ok?!"

Something is wrong. Leather clothes. Blond hair. A rosary.

"MIHAEL! Oh Jesus... Please answer me!"

My hands are shaking as I try to move him on his back.

His face is damn blood mask.

"JESUS MIHAEL WAKE UP!"

"Ugh..I'm fine"

"Can you get in the car if I help you?"

"Of course I can...let's leave! Now!"

I pull his arm over my shoulder and struggle to help him getting in the vehicle.

I have no idea how he can maintain consciousness, but I must take him as far away as possible from this place. Fuck my driving abilities, I am going to drive all night if needed...but I must have him treated as well...

"Don't drive so fast! You are going to focus everyone's attention on you!"

"You are right...That's it, my mother! She was a nurse! Right, I'll drive around for a little while and then bring you to her..."

"What?"

"Your face! You must have medication asap!"

I look at Mihael as he raises a hand to lower the parasol to have a look the mirror horrified.

"FUCK!"

Gosh. Didn't he realize that half of his face was blown up with the house?

"MY FACE! MY BEAUTIFUL FACE! FUCKING SHIT!"

"You had to look in the mirror to notice that?! It doesn't hurt?"

"I THOUGH IT WAS A SCRATCH! BUT IT'S COMPLETELY GONE!"

"It's just the blood Mihael, your face is still there!"

"IT IS NOT JUST THE FUCKING BLOOD! MY FACE IS FUCKED UP! BRING ME TO YOUR MOTHER RIGHT NOW!"

"Fine! Quit screaming like a prom queen ok?"

"YOU WOULD SCREAM AS WELL IF YOUR PRETTY FACE WAS TURNED INTO A MEAT PULP! EVEN MY HAIR IS BURNED!"

"Who cares about the hair, that's going to grow back! You are going to be fine ok?"

Good gosh it feels like reassuring a girl. I knew that Mihael cared about his looks but this is crazy. I can understand screaming in pain...but that part is not bothering him the slightest.

"Fine, fuck that. I will get surgery. FUCK! Now tell me, where the fuck did you came out from?!"

"What does that mean now? And quit swearing!"

"Why were you at the hideout?"

"I came to help you obviously! We are friends! Holy gosh! What else should I have done?!"

I stare at Mihael as if he just asked the most stupid thing in the word. But he's astonished. As if the one saying nonsense is me.

"OH MY GOD. YOU DON'T THINK WE ARE FRIENDS!"

"What?! Nononono! I-I mean yesyesyes we are!"

"YOU BASTARD! I EVEN RUSHED TO SAVE YOUR BONY ASS!"

"WE ARE FRIENDS OK? NOW QUIT THIS!"

"..."

I can't believe it. For one and half year I have helped this idiot. He even tried to fuck me. And he doesn't even consider me a friend.

"Com'on Anna do not sulk. I didn't expect you doing that for me ok?! Thanks"

"But you wouldn't have done the same"

"Likely not. You are a better person then me"

"Fuck you"

"Cool, I deserve it"

"Why do people hate me?"

"No one hates you!"

"Soichiro allied to Kira. He was my friend but he allied to the monster that killed L just to find you!"

"We kidnapped his daughter. I would not consider someone doing that an ally"

"So what is your justification for not expecting me to be a friend? Am I good just for fucking?!"

"No Anna! But admit it you live for revenge. That's the only thing that really moves you. It's hard to believe that you have consideration for anything but that. Aside your kids maybe"

That's right. All I have in mind is to avenge L. The three men toasting to the decision that killed him, calling him stupid. Kira laughing holding his dead body. These are the memories that hunted me for five years.

I am going to arrest Light and find justice for the man I loved.

But I cannot let my rage eat me up.

"I am a little obsessed with that, but I still can grow affection for a human being, you idiot..."


	36. American life

\- Aizawa PoV -

"So how was it with Near?"

I am talking to Mogi who is intent at reading the report on the developments of the case.

He has spent four days restrained by that boy.

It was enough for Near to bluff saying that Kira killed Mogi and I was ready to let my doubts on Light take on me.

"They were nice. For how nice it can be being restrained, but still, they tried to make me feel at ease"

"I am very happy that you are still alive"

"That boy is devilish. He planned it all to make you guys suspect Light"

"And I believed him...I went all the way from Los Angeles to New York to give him my collaboration"

"Anyway... If you did that is because, deep down, you already had your doubts. It's for the best to work together at this point, even if I really hope that Light is innocent"

"You are right, but as Near said, Mello used the notebook and didn't die after thirteen days. That means some of the rules we know are wrong and we must rethink all the conclusions we drawn on Light"

"The first L suspected Light as well. Maybe we are influenced by that. But, anyway, it's ligit to have suspects at this point. Too many coincidences are against him"

That's right. For years, for nearly six years, I have been sure that Ryuzaki was wrong. But now it's just impossible for me to not consider the possibility that the one mistaken was me.

Despite that, I hope with my entire heart that Light is innocent, that I am just getting paranoid.

It would be very sad if Soichiro's son was Kira. The son of the man who devoted his life to catch that monster.

"MOMMY I AM HUNGRY! I DIDN'T HAVE BREAKFAST!"

"The plane just took off. You must wait for the hostess to serve lunch, Raye"

"I AM HUNGRY TOO! LEMME ASK THE BLONDIE GIRL A CAKE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!"

"Be quiet, you cannot eat now! You can share my portion later!"

"BUT I AM HUNGRY NOW!"

"...Damn"

The last thing I wish for right now is to spend five hours in the same airplane with two screaming kids. They are yelling like they are about to die. I have kids myself, but sometimes children are a real nuisance. Whoever are the parents of those two, I just beg that they will shut their noisy mouths... filling them with food, with socks, knocking them out. Anything.

"Aizawa relax, they are just kids!"

I glare at Mogi, which is mocking me. Who cares if my expression shows my annoyance. I am not in the mood to take five hours of screams!

"Why are we on a plane again? I am tired of moving left and right mom..."

"We are going back to LA"

"NOO! MOMMY I WANNA STAY WITH UNCLE MIHEAL! IS HE COMING? HE IS COMING TOO RIGHT?!"

"HE IS COMING WITH THE NEXT FLIGHT WITH GRANNY, NOW BE QUIET AND QUIT YELLING AND COMPLAINING CANDY!"

Good job mommy. Make her stop whining.

"I AM STARVING! I AM GONNA DIE STARVING!"

"RAYE I SINCERELY DOUBT YOU ARE GOING TO DIE FOR SUCH A REASON. THIS IS THE LAST TIME I WANNA HEAR YOU TWO SCREAM OK?! LOWER YOUR VOICES!"

Same here. Why the heck that blonde hostess can't just help out this woman and give her a couple of cookies? Gosh if they are stressing me out...

"Mogi, I am losing it. Do you still have the chips you bought at the duty free?!"

"Yes. Just be polite ok?"

"Whatever I can't take it anymore!"

I grab the packet Mogi thankfully saved for the journey and try to locate the seats of the two pests.

They are few rows ahead of us.

"Ehi. Would you like some chips? My colleague is fat enough to live without it"

I show the packet to the kids and they struck dumb the moment they set their eyes on the food.

"Can I give them the chips? Sorry but it sounds like you need a hand"

I try to joke with the mother of the kids, but she is just staring at me wide eyed. I cannot understand if she is embarrassed or angry at me.

"I... I didn't mean to be awkward ma'am. Any way you can take the chips, if you want"

"Thank you, but I won't accept food from a stranger"

She says that keeping her gaze locked on me.

I cannot figure out why she is giving me this strange feeling. As if I should have known better than talking to her.

"Excuse me Mister...do you have anything sweet?!"

The little girl addresses me with a childish grin. She must be around five years old. A cute kid with blue eyes and back hair, collected in a messy ponytail.

"Sorry kid. I'm afraid you must wait lunch for dessert"

"Thank you bear man! I was very very hungry!"

"...Bear man?"

I look at the other kid, jumping out of his chair and quickly stealing the chips from my hands.

This one has red hair, somehow even messier than his sister's.

I have that strange feeling again and I look back at the woman, paying a little more attention to her. She's very young and quite attractive. Not the regular kind of beauty.

This woman...

The way the kid called me switched something on inside my brain.

Bear man. I knew someone that used to call me like that.

And the little girl. Candy. Her name...

Oh...Shit!

"...Reel?!"

I murmur it, more to myself than to her.

She is still staring at me with her piercing eyes, trespassing me like blades.

Now I recognize the weird feeling.

Hate.

"Hello Aizawa"

I look at the girl I used to befriend.

She is a totally different person. Her looks are just like I remember them, but...there's not a shadow of trust in her eyes. Not a sign of wanting anything to do with me.

"Hi...Have a nice journey..."

I say it half breathed. I have nothing to be ashamed of, I did nothing wrong. But her glare is really killing me. I cannot stay next to her.

I go back to my seat and I hold my forehead to calm down.

"Ehi. What's wrong mate?"

"I had an unpleasant rendez vous"

"What do you mean?"

If we must investigate on Light all over again, I cannot let Mogi out of this. If she is on this plane, it must be because she is keeping an eye on our moves. Maybe she knows that we met Near. Maybe she knows more than I can imagine...

Maybe she is even working with Near or Mello...

No. Near wouldn't need any information from me if she was working with him.

She teamed up with Mello only. M. As uncle Mihael. The kid said that name. She allied to another criminal.

"Aizawa...what happened?!"

"Mogi. Keep quiet about this. There are things regarding L you never knew about"

"L? Do you mean Light?"

"No. I mean the first L. I just run into his wife"

"What...was he married? Is the woman with the kids?!"

"Yes. I fear that she is stalking us"

"Is she allied to Near?"

"I suppose she is more likely to be allied to Mello"

"Why?!"

"She is a hacker known as Irish Reel. Think about it...she must have been the one helping Mello to maneuver that damn rocket"

"Are you serious about this? What are we going to do?!"

"Aizawa?"

I rise my head in surprise and stare at Reel, standing right beside my seat.

"What...?"

"Nice to meet you Mr. Mogi. I'm L's wife"

"..."

"We must talk"

"...what do you want?"

Again that glacial stare.

Her face is not showing any emotion. She's a completely different being.

I cannot believe that the girl in front of me is not going to behave like five years ago. She is not going to cry. She is not going to laugh nor ask me to make peace. She is not going to slap my cheek.

"I just wanna talk. Can I seat?"

I let her settle herself in the empty seat next to me and study her movements.

She is cold, but firm. Like a mercenary ready to sell his services for the highest payroll.

"I want to apologize for what happened in LA. Mello told me about the chief"

"As usual you like to give out the most important information first. We were indeed wondering who do you work for"

"I don't work for anyone. Mello is a dear friend. Now let's get down to business Sirs"

"Fine. Why are you coming back to us after five years?"

"Maybe because are you reconsidering my husband's suspects after five years? I know why you met Near. I supposed you were sure that Light is not Kira..."

"Are you here to say that L told us so?"

"Correct. He always told you so. However, the day he released Light and Misa, I saw you toasting to his stupidity for suspecting them"

I didn't expect this. A toast? I really did that?! I recall that night we were celebrating, but I might have said any sort of thing back then and I don't remember.

"I am sorry, I don't remember such event..."

"But I do. It hunted me for five years"

Damn. Now I understand why she looked at me that way. If Light really is Kira, we celebrated the event that probably killed her husband and laughed at it in her face.

"Reel...I apologize. I was the stupid one. I couldn't see things clearly back then, forgive me"

"Sorry but forgiveness it's not in me anymore. I'll never see L anymore. Just tell me what's your plan if you are going back on this track"

"I don't know. Keep an eye on Light and Misa maybe"

"No maybe. Don't screw things up. If you suspect Light, state it out or you are going to die. You are talking about a man who used his own father as a weapon"

"What's the good outcome in stating it out?"

"If you do so, your death would prove everyone that he is Kira. He won't harm you in such circumstances"

"Can I ask a question?"

We turn to face Mogi, who remained silent since when Reel introduced herself.

"What if Light is innocent. What if he is not Kira?"

I take a breath waiting Reel's response. Sure thing Mogi still has to learn that this girl is not to be contradicted lightly.

"If my suspects have always been wrong, it means that Watari and L died because of stress, Mr. Mogi. If you want my support beware that I do not take complaints nor ifs"

"MOMMY!"

Reel turns to listen to the little girl running our way.

Aside the eyes, her traits really resemble L.

"What's going on sweetie, I am talking to these persons right now"

"The Japan police? Whatever...can I really take your share of cake? The hostess is passing by..."

"I don't mind. But give some to Raye"

"Ufff. Fine..."

I focus on my knees as the little girl focuses on me. I can't understand why, but her presence makes me feel uncomfortable. Maybe just guilty.

"Mr. Cop?! Can I ask you something?"

"Uh..?! W-what?"

"Can you give me your desserts please? You can exchange it with my sandwich!"

"Candy go back to your seat, eat like a normal person and don't stress these gentlemen"

"But it's full of salad and tomatoes and that green stuff I don't like!"

"Candy! Just eat it!"

I laugh looking at the kid putting on a sulky face. She really is L's kid.

"I got them sis'!"

I jump as the red haired boy springs out of the seat in front of us and steals our cakes.

"Ahahaha!"

"RAYE! PUT THEM DOWN!"

The boy runs away laughing like a little elfin, soon followed by the girl.

"Geez. Here, it's a safe line. If you want my support use it to keep in touch. I gotta catch those cake thieves"

I grab the mobile Reel offers me and have a little laugh.

"They can keep them, it's fine"

"They sure have eaten up the cakes and their whole package already but at least they gotta stop running up and down the airplane"

"Reel..."

"Yes?"

"The notebook we retrieved. The reaper took it back to his world. It's not in Kira's possession anymore"

"...that's for the best"

I observe Reel running behind the kids and I feel a little better. She still is the nutshell I used to know. A little bruised and hardened but still the same.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Nothing special. I'm just relieved that she is doing good"

"She is a bit bitchy to be honest"

"She is a super bitch believe me. But it's fine, if she says that she is on our side we can trust her. Actually, I was afraid she wanted to chop my head..."

"I thought the same, but it seems like you are going to be ok"

"I deserved to shit in my pants, I guess"

"Will you call her?"

"Of course. I trust her a thousand times better than Near"

"You seriously are friends...this is unexpected"

"Looks like that uh?"

* * *

 _Hi all! Next week the final chapters of the regular story! Keep reading for the sequel_ ㈴2

 _Thank you!_


	37. Figure it out

\- Anna PoV -

I impatiently walk up and down the room, wondering what the heck is going on.

I never heard a word from Aizawa after that the we arrived in Los Angeles, and Mihael suddenly called me saying that he was about to take a plane to Tokyo.

I, who usually am the one giving out central information to others, have been left out of the games.

I dunno what's going on with everyone.

I jump on my feet the very instant I hear the Smash Mouth tune.

"Mihael!"

"Uh..no... I am Aizawa..."

Geez.

"Sorry. Any news?"

"Many, sorry if I took so long. Things happened. We came back to Japan"

"You too?"

"Yes. Who else is here?"

"Mello. He left without saying a thing, I was worried. What happened?"

"Have you watched tv lately?"

"Sort of..."

"I take it as a no. Kira has a new show girl. He nominated a journalist from NHN to speak in his place"

"Ah, Takada. I saw that, but what's the point? Kira monopolized Sakura tv before NHN. He just moved on to a more stylish channel"

"The point is that Takada is Light's ex-girlfriend"

"Oh...that's a coincidence. But it's too obvious..."

"I suppose that's really a coincidence. We surveilled him and Misa every instant. They didn't use the notebook"

"Someone else is killing in their place..."

"Possible. Just like what happened with Higuchi"

I gotta sit down. Last time Light passed down the notebook his plan leaded to L's death. He is not the guy to do such a thing without a clear strategy in mind.

"This is bad Aizawa...I must conclude that you came back to Japan because he asked so. Has he suggested to contact Takada with the excuse to investigate on her?"

"Precisely. He wants to date her and collect information"

"Sure..."

"Is there any way to turn this situation at our advantage?"

"I gotta think this through. Call back tomorrow"

I hang the phone and gather my thoughts. I cannot move to Japan so suddenly. I absolutely refuse to bring my kids there.

I must wait for Mihael to call me and sum up things.

As I decide this I switch on my laptop and have a deeper look at this famous Takada.

I can find enough information on her simply typing her name on Google. Not a great effort for anyone...

She's another diva. Like Amane, her appearance is perfect from tip to toe. She is not a model just because she has a university degree. Obtained at the same institute as Light. They likely met there.

The only difference from Amane is that this woman is always serious and behaves like she is the queen of England.

I hate her at first sight.

"Hello?"

This time I answer in a composed way. I don't want Mello to think that I can be left behind.

"Anna, I arrived in Tokyo"

"Fine. Stalk Takada. I know that she is going to meet Kira"

"What? How the fuck do you know that?!"

"I have my means. Now, let's move on to the important part, Mihael. I cannot immediately reach you in Japan, you understand why"

"I am going to inform you on every single development"

"Promise me you are going to be cautious"

"I am always cautious, quit with the mommy talking!"

"Always cautious my ass, you stupid pyromaniac! Don't move without informing me I must be aware of the developments okay?!"

...I must go there asap...

"Reel do not even think to come here in Japan. That's useless. I know how your sick head works. I will be fine"

"What the fuck do you mean with useless?! I have never been useless in my entire life you jerk!"

"I don't mean that you are useless! I mean that you can help me through the computer and that's more than enough!"

"I cannot stay hidden like that. I tried before believe me. I'm just unable to"

"So do whatever you want but tell me what are you going to do"

"I will meet the Japanese"

"What?! Who? Why?! What the fuck, of all thing you gotta meet those idiots?"

"Not everyone. Aizawa. Maybe Mogi"

"Explanations please?!"

"We are old friends. He suspects Light as well..."

"YOU DIDN'T LEARN A THING"

"Sorry?"

"You trust people too easily. You must learn to-"

"STOP IT!"

"That's the truth"

"I trust people deserving to be trusted. And that's not your business"

"He hanged out with Kira for six years! He cannot be smart. He cannot be trusted!"

"You hanged out with a mafia cartel. It doesn't mean shit"

"I am me! It's different, I knew what I was doing!"

"Now he knows too!"

"And the first time Light licks his ass he's going to change his mind again!"

"He won't!"

"Cool. Fine, if you don't wanna listen you are free the hang out with the Japanese"

"MIHAEL!"

He cut me off.

Fuck that.

I throw the phone on the other side of the room and glare at the device as it smashes on the wall.

I know that the mobile has no guilt but I don't care.

I am not a kid and I don't accept Mihael's words. I am perfectly able to choose who to trust.

I know that they considered L a stubborn idiot, and I proved them wrong. Everyone make mistakes.

But they never betrayed us. They never told Light about me. They won't do it now.

I sulked over a damn stupid toast for five years. I am the idiot. I am the one who should have made things clear earlier. I was too busy blaming others, pitying myself, hating Kira.

I should have passed all the information I held to Near, no matter if he wanted them or not. I was the adult back then. I should have not bothered a kid's whines.

I could have avoided five years of murdering.

"CANDY! RAYE!"

I raid the whole apartment trying to find my children.

"Turn off the play station and pack your things up"

"Why? We just arrived in LA!"

"You are going to spend Christmas with granny. Don't you wanna see her?!"

"YAAAAY! Is she gonna make me pudding?!"

"Sis'...the only thing you think about are sweets and desserts!"

"Raye the only thing you think about is nothing!"

"You two wanna pack up or not?!"

I look at them running away.

If there's something I learned is that there's a limit to fair play.

We are going to play nice to arrest Kira as long as I have control of the situation.

If this changes, I am going to kill him. Misa. Takada. And whoever has the notebook now.

I did my best to do things as L wished.

I can say this.

But I am not him. I am not a detective.

The only way I ever obtained anything in my life was when I broke the rules. I can deal with the consequences.

I am a criminal. I always was.

He is not here anymore to keep me on the right path.


	38. The world is not not enough

\- Takada PoV -

The hotel room is silent and lonely. The teasing noise coming out of the minibar ended up making me company. Thinking about the minibar, its refreshing contents, I feel like having some alcohol.

I can open a champagne bottle. Maybe Light is in the mood to celebrate his upcoming victory as well...

Our upcoming victory.

That stupid detective dared Light to meet him, claiming to have solved the Kira case. What he does not know is that Kira is not so easy to defeat. Light will win. Near, instead, will have to face defeat.

Once that Light is going to finally get read of Near and the investigative squad we are going to be free.

We will finally have our opportunity to be together. No more Misa around.

I will kill her personally. It's not like I don't believe that Light is going to do so, but I want to make her pay for have stolen him to me years ago.

That fake immature blonde idol. Only the thought of her gets on my nerves.

Light and I could have been together all these years, if only she didn't found another Death Note.

But I know Light is going to be mine.

Misa has not a inch of my style. Not to mention my brains. Now I am even more useful than her.

As I state the obvious the long awaited knock at the door gives me butterflies in the stomach. This is awkward. Not even a high school girl is so excited about a date with her boyfriend.

But I really am in love...

"Hello Light..."

He studies my unusual outfit.

I know he appreciates what he sees... nothing at all.

"Are we going to celebrate?"

His smirk makes me giggle. However... I must be cautious. I know that the room is not bugged, but he still carries a microphone, to fool the agents.

"Yes. I am going to present the New Year concert tomorrow. It's a big thing isn't it?"

"Yeah...so damn big! Good job Takki"

I am not sure if he got the double meaning but the situation is nonetheless sexy...

"I opened some champagne...wanna join me?"

"Sure"

"...let's relax with a movie for tonight..."

He quickly puts the microphone near the tv and drags me in bed.

That's going to be more than enough to fool the agents back at the HQ.

"Light...are you going to stay with me forever?"

He is so beautiful. So perfect.

"Sure. But be careful these days. Do you remember what I want you to do if you are in trouble?"

"Yeah. Now kiss me..."

"No Takki. I want to be sure that you are going to be safe if something goes wrong"

"Fine... I will use a page of the notebook I hid. I will call you and describe in detail the situation and the whereabouts..."

"And whatever object is around you"

"...why?!"

"As I said...to keep you safe..."

"Don't worry, everything is going to be alright.

You will be the God of the new world. And I will be your Goddess my love"

"...yes..."

The very moment Light is about to kiss me I hear his cell phone ringing.

"Don't answer. Let's make love...", I pray.

But he is already answering it. Any other man would have given up to temptation...but Light is no ordinary man. He is Kira. If I want to be his woman I have to share him with the rest of the world.

"Is everything ok?", I ask as he puts the phone back on his pocket.

"Yes, only the squad. But for today I am afraid I must turn down your proposal Takki. We are going to celebrate properly tomorrow..."

I feel delusion growing inside my chest. I must bare with this. I know Light loves me so much...

"I love you Light..."

"I love you, Takki"


	39. Janie's got a gun

\- Anna PoV -

"Reel?"

I recognize Aizawa's voice. For weeks he informed me on every single move Light made. In return I passed him the information I collected through Near's server.

For weeks I never heard a word from Mello.

He never called me back, even if I tried and tried to talk to him.

When I heard that Takada was kidnapped I knew that he did exactly what I feared the most. He played with fire. Again.

"Any news on Mello?!"

"We tracked his phone. We reached the place he hid few time ago"

"Don't tell me you arrested him... I thought he was smarter than that! That idiot should have called me back!"

"No.."

"He fleed! Thank God-"

"No. Reel..."

I stop feeling the hesitation in Aizawa's voice. The Japanese did not arrest Mihael. He didn't escape either. But they found his hideout...

"No. Aizawa, please no. I beg you..."

"The place was on fire. We found Takada's corpse and another body..."

"NO!"

I smash the phone on the wall again. That idiot!

I knew that he was too careless. He let Kira kill him just like that. Just to kidnap a stupid diva Light was fucking...he died.

"Mihael..."

This cannot be happening again. First L. Now Mihael. Why everyone I care about has to die?!

"REEL!"

I glare at the phone, incredibly intact after the collision.

"REEL ANSWER!"

I unwillingly collect the damn device and satisfy Aizawa's request.

"...what?"

"Near is going to meet Light very soon. Don't do anything reckless..."

"Like shoting Light and his crew down? Why?!"

"BECAUSE IT IS NOT WHAT YOU DO! You are not a killer..."

"He killed Mihael! He killed L!"

"Think about what you are talking about..."

"What else can I do?! What do you think I am? I am not a detective. I cannot make Light pay in any other way. I am a criminal and nothing else! Goodbye Aizawa"

I glare at the phone and this time I am going to make sure to really smash it in one million pieces. I drop it on the floor and I keep pounding on it. I pound on the floor with all the strength I have and let tears stream down my face.

I promised it. I promised to behave good until I hold control.

I lost it.

I cannot take this anymore.

I cannot keep losing everything I care about for the rest of my life. I am not strong enough to bare it.

Another person Kira kills is another person on my conscience.

I prefer to deal with being the one murdering Kira, rather than that.

Once that the mobile is turned into something unrecognizable, I walk stright to the bedroom and open my luggage.

I let the zip whistle and I slowly unpack everything inside it.

The ammunitions. The rifle. The viewfinder. The silencer.

I had hard times trying to collect these parts. The only weapon I ever used was Watari's rifle.

I cannot risk to use a gun o anything different than this.

I had to obtain the exact weapon I was familiar with.

I carefully assemble the rifle, giving to every single movement all my attention.

I don't know how I am going to do this. I don't have a plan yet. But I know that Light has a man killing for him. Teru Mikami. I discovered it thanks to Nate. I can start with that guy. It's going to take a while for Light to find out about his death.

As I set the silencer I shiver at the sound of screeching metals.

Maybe something is in the wrong place...

I study the weapon, but I cannot find anything wrong in what I am doing.

I try again putting more strength in it and that creepy sound stops me one more time.

My ring.

The grip of my hand made it rub against the silencer.

Shit.

I quickly check for any damages.

The red stone is fine, but the metal part is scratched.

How the fuck did I forget to take it off before handling a damn sniper rifle?!

"SHIT!"

What the fuck am I doing?!

I cry trying to polish up the metal. Uselessly.

It's going to stay like this. Until I bring it to a jeweler to fix it. But that's more easily said than done, I cannot let any unexpected jeweler touch it.

Better said, I won't let anyone touch it. The last person that touched my ring was L and that's the way it's going to stay.

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIIIIT!"

I yell and cry and kick the damn silencer to other side of the room.

That's what I deserve for throwing in the toilet everything L believed in.

Suits me.

I hang the ring to a necklace and grab the rifle, neglecting the silencer.

It doesn't matter anymore.

I walk down the stairs and aim for the car I rented, staring at nothing. Honestly I don't know where the hell I am going, but I will find Mikami.

Then Misa.

And Light for last.

Whatever the consequences.

Suddenly a sound catches my attention and I turn to find out where it came from.

But everything is blurry and swirling.

I try to clear my view, but I realize that I was hit by something on the back of my head.

My punitive mission was very short lived.

In tears I try to recognize the figure standing over me, but it's too confused.

He says something but I don't care.

It's too sad.

It's too painful.

And now it's even too dark.

I am going to die.

Like Mihael.

Like my L.


	40. Over my head

\- Anna PoV -

I blink my eyes and raid the walls of a white room, full of computers and monitors.

A headquarter.

I remember that someone attacked me while I was about to hunt Mikami.

I was leaving my apartment to kill him, with a rifle at hand.

But someone stopped me.

"Finally you are awake"

I turn around, my head aching as never before. A young boy is speaking to me. At least it seems the voice of a young boy.

"You are Irish Reel then..."

"...what?"

I try to figure out what is going on around me, but the only thing that I understand is that I am restrained to a chair, with my hands cuffed behind my back.

"Let me ask you some questions"

I locate the figure that is talking to me. A white haired boy, sitting on a chair on the other side of the room, showing me his back.

"Nate..."

"You anticipated me. The first thing I wanted to ask you was if you know who I am"

"What do you want from me?!"

"I am the one asking things. Someone told me a certain hacker spied on us for awhile. Are you Irish Reel?"

"No"

"Then I suppose you are not L's wife...or Anna..."

"I don't know what are you talking about"

"Do you recognize this object?"

Near swirls his chair to face me. In his left hand he swings a necklace, with something shiny and red hanged to it.

I look at my décolleté and I notice that my ring is gone.

"YOU BASTARD GIVE ME BACK MY RING!"

"Yours?"

"Take your hands off it!"

I glare at Nate as he passes my ring between his thin slimy fingers, studying every detail of it.

"In here is engraved L&Anna 2-2-2. But if you say that you are not Anna, you told me at least one lie"

"What do you want?!"

"Do you know what's the chemical element that composes a diamond?"

"...carbon..."

"Indeed, a flammable element"

I observe the boy as he pulls out of his pocket a blue lighter and brings the tiny flame close to the solitaire.

"Tell me the truth or it burns to ashes"

"STOP!"

"Why? If you are not Anna you are not supposed to claim property on this ring. In that case, as L's successor I can decide to burn this down. For your information the documented GIA graded fancy red diamonds over 1 carat can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Being this stone not listed, I conclude that it's either a fake or it's illegal"

"You are a fake! Fuck you Nate!"

"Fine"

I jump as the boy puts my ring dangerously near the flame.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP! I AM ANNA, I AM REEL!"

"Are you saying this just because you don't want me to burn a millions dollars diamond?"

"I say this because it's my wedding ring! Please give it back!"

"In that case you will tell me everything you know, right?"

"I promise I will..."

"Do you know who is Kira?"

"Yes. Light Yagami"

"Mello could have suggested you so...do you know who is killing in his place right now?"

"Teru Mikami. At least, according to what's in your database..."

"Interesting. So Aizawa said the truth, you spied on us and we never noticed it"

A tear streams down my face. Mihael was right, I should not have trusted Aizawa. I am the usual gullible girl I have always been.

"He...sold me to you..."

"He asked me to stop you before you did something you could regret"

My eyes try to lock on Nate's, in the attempt to understand his words.

"We found you with a rifle at hand. May I ask you what were your intentions?"

I stare at the ground as I gather my courage to confess it. I was about to murder a man.

"I...wanted to kill Mikami. And then Light...and...and Misa"

I don't know why I sob but I cannot avoid it. I am a monster. Nate was right to refuse to work with me.

I cry without caring about being observed, being exposed.

No one is stopping me anyway.

I grieve for Mihael, for L, for my kids, for my stupidity and for all the injustice in this damn world, that's never going to disappear, that's never going to change.

I don't know how much time passed since I started crying but suddenly I realize that Nate never moved from his chair.

He stayed there, waiting for me to dry out.

Ashamed I rise my head and meet his gaze.

"You know... to burn a diamond it takes a torch and liquid oxygen. It's carbon but it's not so easy to destroy it. It's just a common belief that they can be burned by regular flames...no one usually tries to burn a diamond, anyway"

I gulp as someone behind me touches my hands.

Few moments later I hear the sound of the handcuffs being opened.

"What...what does this means? You arrested me didn't you?"

"I simply restrained you in case you were dangerous. But I don't think so. You were just out of your mind for what happened to Mihael"

"He shouldn't have died..."

"I know. I am very sorry for it as well. Here..."

Nate returns my ring which is, as I notice in relief, completely fine. Aside my scratches.

"Thank you"

"Beside the value, it's a nice stone. L obtained it arresting the members of criminal organization involved in contraband. He saved many lives stopping those people"

"You made your research..."

"I am sorry for the way I treated you, Anna"

"It's ok...as you said...I was carrying around a rifle"

"Not just now. I mean back when Roger offered me your collaboration, five years ago. I was inexpert and quite presumptuous"

"Oh. That's not a issue. It was your right to decide if you wanted help from a criminal or not"

"That's right, but now I don't think that you are a criminal anymore. Working at this case made me change my point of view on many things. Even on L. When he died, I reacted telling myself that he was just a loser. But if Mihael didn't kidnap Takada, I would be in a huge mess right now as well"

"What do you mean?"

"We discovered that Mikami is using a fake notebook. He retrieved the real one to kill Takada, while she was with Mihael. We discovered it by chance"

A fake notebook...what's the use for that?

"I don't understand..."

"Probably Light imagined that we found out about Mikami. He might have ordered him to use a fake notebook to deceive us. But when Mikami heard about Takada being kidnapped he rushed to collect the real notebook to kill her"

"So...if Mikami was using a fake notebook...who is really murdering the criminals?!"

"I suppose it was Takada. Many pages of the real notebook were cut off. I suppose she used those to kill"

"And what's your plan now?"

"We want to draw Light and Mikami in a trap and force them to use the notebook. Our plan is to switch the Death Note with a fake. Actually that's the same plan as before. But if we didn't find out about the location of the real notebook, we would have been screwed. Mello saved me and also my plan"

I grasp for air as I digest Nate's words.

He found a way to prove Kira guilty.

The way I have been looking for years.

"Trust me Anna, we are going to stop Light the way L wished it to be done"


	41. The ballad of St Anne's reel

\- Anna PoV -

Once again I am here, listening to everything is going on, unable to speak my mind. But this time I am not going to hide. I am not going to cry. And I am not going to fight back. I trust Near's plan and I know that this is going to be the last battle.

"I WON NEAR! I AM THE GOD OF A NEW WORLD!"

He confessed. Light confessed to be Kira. Finally.

"FOURTY"

Nothing happens. No one dies.

We win.

I listen astonished to Mikami's whines for forgiveness.

That worm hid behind the door, knowing that Near asked the Japanese to meet him.

He wrote the names of everyone but Light in his Death Note, and didn't try to flee the moment Light asked him to show himself.

Light was so sure to have played us that he even stated out his supposed victory. He felt the urge to make Near feel like a loser before letting him die.

But he thought wrong. The notebook they believed to be the real one was another fake.

"Why they don't die?! God, I did as you demanded!"

"Control with your eyes. The only name that isn't written in the notebook is Light Yagami. Mikami called him God and followed his orders"

"THIS IS A TRAP! I DO NOT KNOW THAT MAN!"

I shiver as I listen to Light yelling.

His voice is so different from before. It's full of hate, of anger, of humiliation and frustration.

It's disgusting the way he retorted to such low arguments to save himself. As if Near could fall for it.

"Light. It's too late. Near won. Your declaration of victory equals to a confession..."

Aizawa is a really good man. After that Light tried to kill him, after that he lied to him, pretending to be his friend for six years, Aizawa still can talk to him like that.

If I was in his place I would have freaked out.

Even Near...he continues to answer any question Light makes. He's a good detective. He's good enough to succeed L now.

They continue to discuss but I don't really listen. I already obtained everything I need. Kira is going to stop murdering. He is going to be arrested. That's good enough.

But suddenly I jump, startled by Nate's voice.

"HE HID A PIECE OF PAPER!"

What? This is not possible... The very moment that Light is supposed to be unable to harm anyone anymore...

A shot.

I have only a earphone, I cannot understand what happened.

Maybe Light tried to write a name and someone stopped him...but I cannot know if he managed to kill someone being shot.

"Guys..."

I fell sweat running down my spine. Even if it's January and even if I'm outside in the cold.

"MATSUDA! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU SHOTING TO?!"

"He is using his blood to write!"

More shots. More screams.

But everyone is alive.

I hear Nate's voice and stay still.

I will wait for the developments.

This time I can wait. I can hold my place and wait.

No matters if Light dies blood drained. No matter if he is arrested.

All I want to see is this door to open and everything ending.

I remove my earphone and wait.

I don't want to listen to Light dying. It does not please me nor it makes me feel better.

My revenge is peace.

The world is not the hands of a murderer anymore.

"Anna..."

I look at the door and I see Aizawa. He is walking out of the warehouse together with Nate. They are both fine.

Two men of Nate's team are leading Mikami out, handcuffed.

Light is nowhere to be seen.

"Hello Aizawa. Hi Nate..."

I smile at them. A bitter smile, as I know that Light, deep down, was a friend to Aizawa and the Japan team.

"Are you ok?", I ask.

"Yes. We were prepared for this. Matsuda's not doing so good though. He refused to believe that Light was guilty till the end"

I look at the agent in tears, heading to his car to be left alone.

"I am sorry for him..."

"Don't be. Finally this story is finished, now we can all move on"

"Thank you, Aizawa. For everything..."

I hug the bear man and feel his heat warming me up. It feels good and it feels safe. I can stop fearing Kira.

"Emh... excuse me Aizawa. Shall we call the scientific dept.?"

"No Ide. I don't want to make his family feel any more pain. We are going to handle this alone"

"You are right..."

I let go of Aizawa to let him speak to his colleague. Ide is the only member of the Japan team that I never met, most likely because he joined the squad after that L died.

"Oh...sorry Reel. This is Ide, he's also a dear friend of mine"

"Nice to meet you Reel"

"My name is Anna. Please, I am getting to hate aliases"

"Anna, then. Are you in Near's team?"

I look at Nate who is leaving with the rest of his men.

"No. I was L's wife. I was in Mihael's team"

Ide is staring at me, trying to figure out where the part of me being Aizawa's friend fills in.

"She is a very nice person. She also helped out a lot in solving this case Ide. I hope we are going to work together again in the future"

I let out a little laugh.

"I am sorry Aizawa but I am going back to my kids and I will stay out of trouble for some time. I promise to let you know when I am going to feel like playing with my computer again!"

"Wait... Reel...Irish Reel... you mean that hacker is a girl?!"

"Ahahah! Yeah, please don't arrest me!"

"No! Sorry... I mean...cool. I am kinda a fan of yours...could you make me an autograph?"

"IDE!"

I laugh again, observing Aizawa dragging Ide away, and I decide that finally I can go back home.

I wave my hand in direction of Nate's car. Despite the obscured windows I know he's in there.

I owe him a lot.

I can stop worrying about Kira.

It's finished.


	42. Epilogue

\- Anna PoV -

"Mommy please please please gimme some chocolate!"

"No Candy! You are going to ruin your teeth if you continuously eat sweets"

"She wanna give it to her boyfriend! She wanna givve it to her boyfrieeeend! Nanannanana!"

"Mind your business you idiot!"

"Whaaaat?! Wait what?! What it this story kid? You are only six years old do you remember?!"

"But it's Christmas! It's just polite to give chocolate in present to your friends mommy!"

"That's St. Valentine you idiot! You wanna give it to the boy sitting next to you in class! Admit it! Ahahah!"

"No! I don't like him!"

"Yes you do!"

"MOMMY I SAW RAYE KISSING MY FRIEND LALA!"

"WHAT?!"

"Kids go catch the bus. Now!"

I fall on the first chair at hand at stare at my kids running to catch the school bus.

I am not ready for this!

"Dammit kids nowadays are crazy..."

"Anna relax! They are just joking!"

I look at my mum as she laughs at me.

"There's nothing to laugh about! They are six! Six you understand?!"

"Chill out and let them be...listen to your old mother uh?!"

"Said the woman who grew up a hacker..."

"I did a pretty good job indeed! Now be a good girl and don't stress me. I'm going shopping"

I sigh as she purs me some tea and leaves with a grin.

Thankfully my mother has always been there for me, but sometimes I really wish L didn't left me. If my knees shake now that they are in first grade I wonder what I am going to do when they will be in high school...

"What are those?"

I ask it aloud and point at the other side of the table, but my mother is already gone.

I get up and have a look at the unfamiliar things in there.

Two notebooks, completely white. Maybe Candy or Raye forgot them, even if I don't remember buying these to my kids. They might belong to one of their friends.

I open one notebook and I keep turning the pages, puzzled.

Not only the cover, but also the pages are completely white. No rows, no squares. On the cover a single black writing in a strange alphabet I cannot read.

I put down the first notebook and study the other one. This one is exactly alike, aside one detail.

The write in the front cover is in English.

It says Life Note.

I drop the notebook as if suddenly it started burning.

This is a horrible joke.

Why someone would give me such an unpleasant gift, knowing what a notebook did to my family?!

I stare at the white objects, apparently so harmless, and read again.

Life Note.

Why Life?

I clearly remember that the notebook belonging to Light had Death Note written on it. And it was completely black.

Maybe these have nothing to do with reapers.

I jump the moment the world reaper crosses my mind.

Around me everything is as usual. There's no reaper related to these notebooks.

They are regular notebooks, certainly...but...it's a strange coincidence.

Life Note.

If writing a name on a Death Note results in killing someone, then, writing a name on a Life Note is supposed to have the opposite effect. Maybe they can revive someone or give a longer life...

NO!

I cannot be thinking this, it's just crazy!

...

But...if they are regular notebooks the worst thing that could happen to me is to feel like an idiot.

If these are Death Notes, the worst consequence in writing a dead person's name in it is nothing.

...

I stare again at the notebooks and wonder the possible counter effects of reviving a man.

The only bad outcome would be a scenario like the one in Pet Sematary. But this is not a book by Stephen King. This is real life. They either work or not.

I stop thinking and rush to grab a pen.

I know I am stupid bit I cannot resist.

What's wrong in giving it a try?

I won't harm anyone...

It's just as easy as writing any random eight letters...

I close my eyes, trying to remember every single detail of his face, and let the pen do all the job.

 _L Lawliet_

* * *

 _And this is the end of the story ... **Thank you very much** for reading until this point, I really enjoyed trying to write fanfic and I am very happy knowing that someone liked Irish Reel. I love the original Death Note with my whole heart so I respected the real plot as much as possible, writing this fanfic as if some pages were just cut off the manga. I hope I didn't screw up anywhere...in case pls review and will try to fix it!_ ㈻1

 _However, as I promised, there is a sequel on the way and from now on things will get twisted!_ ㈴0㈺6㈸1㈸3㈵6 _I like happy endings but I am also a little bitchy so don't say I didn't warn you..._ ㈶0

 _That's it, hope you will be back for **Irish Reel Reloaded**!_ ㈍9


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